MiNd GaMeS
by BULMA16
Summary: An AU in which the King of all Saiyans is in search of a female worthy enough to rule as Queen. See what happens when a certain loud mouthed blue haired female catches his attention...and finds out that she can't go home until she bears his heir!
1. Chapter One

AN: Hi folks! This is Bulma16. After a lot of careful deliberation on my part and some frightening threats from other people (you know who you are, LOL) I've decided to resubmit my tender baby, MiNd GaMeS. I hope you all still enjoy it if you've read it before and if you haven't well, happy reading to you! There should be pretty regular updates (depending on how I feel about reviews and reader responses). Anyway, it's still in its raw form, completely unchanged from how it was.except that eventually I will be posting the end to this fic and I've erased the review responses! MANY THANKS: to SuperSaiyanShadow! This is all thanks to her  
  
IMPORTANT NOTICE! Okay, first off, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. The beginning of the story is somewhat rushed, and I know that the fans of certain characters might be upset that their character died. Please DON'T get upset! I love (almost) every character that dies in this story, but I know that if they stayed alive, they probably wouldn't rest until they saved their enslaved friends, so (unfortunately) I just decided to get them out of the way.  
  
This story is kind of mixed up a little. I guess you could call it a 'what- would-happen-if-Radditz-never-came-to-earth' story. So, Goku is as strong as he was when he fought his brother, Piccolo hasn't really joined up with Goku, so Gohan has NO fighting skills at all, and everything else will be revealed to you as the story continues!  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ (sadly) belongs to another.but my Vegeta posters will always belong to me! Ha, ha, ha. Ahem.  
  
*****  
  
MiNd GaMeS  
  
"Excellency, the last purging ship has finally returned."  
  
"Send the First Commander here at once."  
  
"Consider it done, sire." the slave bowed to the king of Vegetaseii, before going to the ship port. As he walked the long distance to the ship, he kept his head and eyes low as he passed several Saiyans who outranked him; the last thing he needed was to be reprimanded and beaten for being too prideful for one of his stature. He flinched as he heard a loud voice echoing all around the port. He quickened his pace as he recognized the voice as First Commander Nappa's.  
  
He bowed before the commander, "Commander Nappa, King Vegeta requests your presence in his quarters." Nappa growled at the slave's interference, "I'll be there as soon as I finish preparing these idiots for the moving of these newly captured slaves."  
  
*****  
  
The newly appointed king swirled a red liquid in his glass and looked up as he sensed Nappa's approach.  
  
The commander bowed low on one knee and put his right fist to his heart, "You wanted to see me, Excellency?"  
  
"Yes, Nappa. How was the voyage to Earth?"  
  
"Very satisfactory sire. I have found several slaves for you to choose from."  
  
Vegeta shifted in his throne, "Choose from? Oh yes, you must be referring to that small matter of Saiyan blood and humans making the ultimate fighter." Vegeta threw his glass to the floor, "That is a whole lot of rubbish; if the females on this planet weren't so intellectually inferior, I would never go along with this."  
  
Four slaves came out of the darkness surrounding the king's throne and began cleaning the mess from the royal carpet.  
  
Vegeta rose from the throne and gestured for Nappa to rise, "You have heard of the defeat of Freeza?"  
  
"Yes sire. I also heard that you turned into the legendary Super Saiyan...is this true?"  
  
The king's cold eyes brightened slightly at the mention of his victory, "Yes. It was embarrassingly easy; Freeza didn't stand a chance. It's a shame the old man had to go; he had at least another year before I would have taken the throne from him, so Freeza only saved me the trouble of having to kill him myself." He paused, "I hope you remembered what I told you, Nappa, about killing the earthlings."  
  
Nappa nodded, "Would you like to see the slaves sire?"  
  
"Send them in Nappa, I hope they aren't as disgusting and pitiful as the last bunch you sent here."  
  
Nappa grinned, "There are a few in there I was tempted to take for myself sire; I think you will be most delighted with the selection this time."  
  
Vegeta scowled as he sat in his throne, "Let us hope so."  
  
*****  
  
Bulma couldn't remember when she had ever been so afraid in all of her twenty-three years. She had been hiding over at the Son house with Yamcha, Oolong, Krillen, Master Roshi, Goku, Gohan, Chichi, Tien, Piccolo, and Chaotzu; when a large crash could be heard from outside. Everyone had filed outside, and then regretted it when they saw eleven men with tails standing outside. The Saiyans had been on the planet for the last five days; wreaking havoc wherever they went. Bulma shivered as a hard voice ordered the others in a foreign language when Goku, Krillen, Piccolo, Tien, Chaotzu, and Roshi got in a defensive fighting position.  
  
"Forget Vegeta's orders. Kill those six bums," Nappa ordered the other Saiyans, a bored expression on his face.  
  
Bulma had clung to Yamcha and sobbed into his chest as the Saiyans killed Tien, Krillen, Oolong, Piccolo, Chaotzu, and Roshi while they were trying to protect themselves. Gohan burst into tears and hid behind his mother's leg.  
  
The leader of the ten Saiyans taunted Goku, surprisingly knowing their language, "After all these years you've spent on Earth, Kakkarot, and this is all you have to show for it: a sniveling brat, weak ass friends, and a shamefully low power level. That's a damned shame."  
  
Goku glared at the tall bald one, and got into his fighting stance, "You'll be sorry you ever messed with my friends and family."  
  
The malice in Nappa's laughter caused Bulma to cringe, "Let's see what you got then."  
  
The battle didn't last very long, the Saiyan's fighting was superior to Goku's but somehow Goku got in a good hit that sent Nappa sprawling.  
  
Yamcha detached himself from Bulma, "Bulma, I don't want you to think I'm a coward, but I know I don't have a chance against these guys. If I can stay alive, I can help gather the dragon balls to wish our friends back to life. Right now, it is important that I remain as inconspicuous as possible, do you understand?"  
  
Bulma nodded and turned from Yamcha to watch Goku. Nappa was up and he was furious, "How could I let someone like you hit me? This is not happening!" Goku wiped blood from his face and watched the older Saiyan warily. His son, Gohan, ran towards him crying, "Daddy, daddy! I'm so scared."  
  
Nappa grinned and blasted the little boy with a ray from his hand. He frowned as he heard a woman scream. Chichi screamed in agony as she looked at the spot where her son had once been. One of Nappa's men slapped her unconscious and dragged her towards the ship. Goku weakly flew in the direction of his wife and stopped abruptly as Nappa suddenly appeared in front of him.  
  
"Where are you going Kakkarot? I believe we were in the middle of something." Nappa shouted and punched Goku forcibly through the stomach, causing the younger Saiyan to fly several yards and through his own house. Nappa picked him up by his neck, "You are the saddest excuse for a Saiyan I have ever laid my eyes on." The life went out of Goku's eyes and he went limp. Nappa threw his body away from him and wiped his hands dismissively.  
  
Bulma felt something snap as she watched Goku fly through the air; she ran to his body and sobbed on his bloodied chest. * No! I can't believe it. Oh Goku, I've known you since you were just a little kid. It can't all be over now. It can't! * One of the Saiyans dragged her from the body and toward Nappa.  
  
"Should we bring this one along also Commander?"  
  
Nappa leered down at the protesting Earth female, "For sure. This one's really good looking."  
  
Bulma couldn't understand what they were saying but she didn't like the look Nappa gave her. She spat in his face and kicked the guy holding her in the shin.  
  
Nappa frowned and looked as if he was going to strike the female, but then changed his mind, "The more spirited: the better. The king likes 'em fiery. Bring her along."  
  
Bulma screamed for Yamcha as they dragged her toward the ship. Yamcha raced after her, "Bulma!" One of the ten lower Saiyans grabbed him, "Should we kill him, Commander?"  
  
Nappa shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really care what you do with him." And that's all Bulma knew up until now.  
  
*****  
  
Bulma shivered in the corner of the small cell all of the female slaves were put in. Chichi was conscious, but unwilling to talk, at least for now. There weren't that many slaves all together; only twenty or so but all were afraid, hungry, cold, and quickly developing a case of claustrophobia. Many had been airsick, even Bulma, who knew how to fly almost before she knew how to walk, was feeling queasy from their previous descent into the port. They had been moved to only Kami knows where in the huge Saiyan castle.  
  
The women moaned and covered their eyes, as someone opened the door to the small dark cell. He ordered them in choppy Japanese and English to come out of their cells and form a single file line. Bulma helped Chichi up and stood with her in line. Behind her was a tall redheaded woman from the states, who glared defiantly at the guard when his back was turned and cursed at him in English under her breath.  
  
The guard motioned for them to follow him, and instantly another guard appeared at the back of the line.  
  
* There goes any idea I had for escape * Bulma thought moving along silently with the other women. The guard in front stopped them before large grandeur double doors. He stuck his head in, spoke in his language for a while, and then gestured for the women to go in. Bulma gasped as she walked into the room.  
  
It was dark in the room except for around a golden throne. Seated in the throne was the most handsome man she had ever seen; * except for Yamcha,* she reminded herself. "Bow before the King of Vegetaseii," the guard ordered them. The other women threw themselves to the red-carpeted floor, except for the woman behind her; she took her time and even straightened her hair. She went unnoticed as Bulma scowled at the guard and stayed on her feet, not allowing Chichi to bow as the guard approached menacingly. "Bow or die," he growled at her, gathering energy in his palm. Chichi began to cry aloud as memories of her family's death came back to her.  
  
To comfort her friend, Bulma finally bowed begrudgingly and Chichi followed suit, crying silently as Bulma whispered comforting words to keep her silent. Nappa came in the room and bowed, "Your slaves sire. There are some pathetic excuses for men also, and they have already been put to work."  
  
The king nodded distractedly, "You may rise Nappa, and send the slaves up here one at a time so that I may examine them."  
  
Nappa rose and grabbed the first slave in line, pushing her toward the king roughly. The terrified girl burst into tears as she closed the distance between herself and the king. The king snorted in disgust, "Remove this sniveling brat from my presence," he said in Japanese.  
  
The woman was taken away, and she and every other woman that cried at the sight of the king were never seen again.  
  
The king sighed, "I hope these last three are worth my time for your sake Commander."  
  
Nappa laughed nervously, and pushed Chichi in front of the king. The earth woman stopped her crying and made no noise before the king. "Say something woman," Nappa yelled. Chichi continued to stand there in silence and stared at her feet.  
  
Vegeta was surprised at the woman's guts, "She has something resembling a slave's attitude, for that, spare her Nappa. I want her assigned to me. In the future, slave, when you are told to do something, you will do it, for I am far less lenient than the commander." Chichi was taken out of the king's presence.  
  
Nappa pushed Bulma roughly in his desperation in front of the king, "I think you will like this one sire. I thought of you as soon as I saw her."  
  
Vegeta didn't comment but watched as the earth woman picked herself off of the floor and straightened her clothes before glaring at Nappa. "Come here slave," Vegeta demanded in his own language, but when she seemed not to understand him, he repeated his command in Japanese and got on his feet. Bulma marched defiantly up to the king and locked her eyes on his, "Yes, sire?" she said sarcastically. * This is their king? *  
  
Vegeta frowned at her tone, "I do not tolerate insubordination."  
  
"Then get one of those 'sniveling brats' you sent away, because I would die before I--"  
  
Nappa rapidly advanced to his king's side, "You will not speak to the king like that and live to see another hour," he said angrily.  
  
Vegeta held up a hand and began to speak to Nappa in their language, "At this moment, your loyalty is not wanted Nappa. I will keep this woman and if I so decide, she will become the Queen of Vegetaseii."  
  
Nappa sighed in relief, "Sire, there's one more slave left."  
  
"Let her live, she too may serve under me."  
  
Nappa started at Vegeta's graciousness by letting the last slave live and without testing her courage first. He sent the American with one of the guards and left the king and the blue-haired woman alone.  
  
"What is your name woman?" Vegeta asked her in her language.  
  
"What does it matter if you're going to kill me anyway?"  
  
"Do as you are told if you wish to live," he growled.  
  
"My name is Bulma Briefs."  
  
Vegeta sat down in his throne again crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at his boot, "You have been brought here because I am looking for a wife to bear me a son to inherit the throne. It has also been said that a full-blooded Saiyan could mate with a human and produce a superior Saiyan." He glanced at Bulma to see her reaction.  
  
"So in truth, I am to become a brood mare?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind. What if, I didn't want to marry you or, as you so delicately put it, 'mate' with you?'"  
  
"I don't recall giving you a choice, but if you wish, after the boy has been born, you can leave and go wherever you wish; as long as you leave me the heir."  
  
"Why me?" Bulma sighed, more to herself than to the king.  
  
Vegeta smirked, "It certainly wasn't looks, that's for sure. The only reason why you of all people were chosen is because you can actually uphold your end in a conversation."  
  
Bulma scowled at the king, "I am already betrothed, I couldn't mate with you even if I wanted to."  
  
Vegeta scowled back at her, "I will not be denied. The ceremony is in three days. Get your rest and on the day of the ceremony, I will send a slave to attend to you." He got up and took a step toward Bulma, "I will not see you until the ceremony, according to tradition, so in the meantime I will have my Second Commander attend to your needs."  
  
Bulma's eyes suddenly filled with tears, * This isn't right. I was going to marry Yamcha for love and instead I'm going to marry some asshole king who just wants me to bear him a child that I will never see again after his birth. This isn't right...oh Yamcha, I wish you were here! *  
  
Vegeta watched stoically while the earth woman fought to control her emotions. "Follow me to your room." He turned on his heel and silently left the throne room. Bulma followed him at a distance, refusing to look up for any reason. The king stopped and turned to her, "This will be your room until after the ceremony. You will be woken early for testing, fitting, and.teaching." He pushed a code into the panel near the door and gestured for Bulma to go in. As she passed him, he caught her arm; "I will see you in three days." He left, and the doors automatically closed behind him.  
  
Bulma frowned after the King. * I hate him for what I am forced to do with him. I would rather die than bear a child that would call him father. * Bulma's expression softened then crumbled as she remembered what happened to her own parents. Her mother and father had stayed in Capsule Corporation, and had been killed by the Saiyans. * I hate the whole Saiyan race. I will never like it here. *  
  
She observed her room. It was small in comparison with the King's huge throne room. There was a small panel with strange figures on it, a shower with a bathroom, an empty refrigerator, a bed, and a screen attached to something that looked like a tiny keyboard. Bulma threw herself in the bed. She was filthy, hungry, tired, and upset, but right now her need for sleep cancelled everything else out.  
  
*****  
  
"Second Commander Brocco, I have a new assignment for you."  
  
"I am eagerly waiting your orders, Excellency."  
  
"You are to prepare the chosen slave for her ascent to the role of Queen of Vegetaseii. Starting tomorrow, I want her perfectly prepared for her new role. There is a list of things I want done that should be in your quarters right now," Vegeta told the commander.  
  
The commander was surprised, "But...of course sire. Your wish is my desire." The commander bowed and left. * What am I? A nanny? I'm to look after this stupid earth girl and teach her. Well, now that I think about it.this could be a whole lot of fun...at least for me, * Brocco smirked.  
  
*****  
  
END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER.  
  
So what did you guys think? PLEASE let me know! I want to hear from you! Here's a little taste of chapter two:  
  
"What is the king like? I don't know anything about him and I'm supposed to...join with him in two days."  
  
Brocco sat down, "Well, the King is a very complicated man. When he was just the prince, he was wild. He and Nappa were always off conquering and destroying planets devastating thousands. He's never shown any remorse for what he's done; at least not to any living Saiyan. Nor has he ever shown any type of affection for another person; in all of his 26 years, he has never been told he was loved, nor has he ever loved anyone. Many Saiyans look down upon unkempt emotions; we are only allowed to express ourselves when in private. King Vegeta doesn't ever express any emotion, except for anger."  
  
Bulma sighed, "Great, I get to marry an introverted murderer. Not every girl is as lucky as I must be."  
  
***** 


	2. Chapter Two

SALUDOS A TODOS! Here's the second chapter. I forgot to say that I DONT OWN DRAGON BALL Z OR ITS CHARACTERS OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. That's all I have to say on that, because I won't remember to write it again later. Oh yes, Brocco is a Saiyan, but she speaks Japanese. Bulma speaks Japanese and English only in the beginning. (This will be more important later, trust me). Any questions or comments let me know!

Notes about Chapter two: The red-haired girl is important. Vegeta does imply that Bulma's ugly, but you know how he is. He doesn't really mean it; he's just being a jerk.

MiNd GaMeS: Chapter 2 

*Early the next day...*

The door crashed open and Bulma bolted upright in the bed.

A loud voice echoed in the tiny room with accented Japanese, "Rise and shine girl. It is time for breakfast."

"What? Who are--"

"Shut your mouth and eat." Brocco impatiently shoved a plate of Saiyan delicacies toward her.

Bulma glanced down at the plate and immediately felt sick, "What...What the hell is this?"

"Some kind of eggs, lizard tails, and I'm not sure what that gray stuff is."

Bulma's stomach churned and she swallowed the bile that was quickly collecting in her throat. She picked up the utensil that (strangely enough) resembled a fork and took a bite of the eggs before she lost her nerve. _Not bad at all, _she thought smiling at Brocco, "These eggs are good. Thank you very much. My name's Bulma, what's yours?"

Brocco raised an eyebrow at the girl, "I am the Second Commander, Brocco. You may refer to me as Commander or Second Commander, and for now while you are still not the queen, I will refer to you as whatever I wish."

Bulma ignored the commander's tone and finished the eggs, "So what are we doing today Brocco?"

The commander pushed numbers into the panel with the strange figures on it, "First I am going to get you some clothes. What the hell are you wearing? Some kind of sackcloth?"

Bulma frowned at the woman's words, "Listen, commander, I don't know who you think you are but--"

Brocco held up a hand, "I apologize. I meant no disrespect, I'm just tired."

Bulma smiled at her, "That's okay. It's just that I've been through so much. My hair is filthy and the clothes I have on are all that I have left."

The two women were silent, until a knock surprised them. Brocco shouted something in the SL (Saiyan language) and a slave arrived with clothes, he bowed to Brocco and left. "Here, these will have to do until we can get you measured. Hurry up and shower will you! We don't have all day."

Bulma snatched the clothes and stomped into the bathroom grumbling. Brocco laughed at the earth woman; _this may not be as bad as I thought it would be. The woman's got some spunk, which is probably why the king chose her._

*****

"No way! You are NOT going to put that thing in my neck."

"Bulma, be reasonable. This is the only way you can learn the SL in such a short period of time," Brocco sighed.

"But...it'll hurt...won't it?"

"No, I swear there will be little or no pain," the Saiyan female said, trying not to roll her eyes.

"Oh all right," Bulma said, watching the doctor carefully. Brocco talked to him in the SL; the doctor nodded and took the small chip out of the package. He swabbed the back of Bulma's neck with antiseptic and made a small incision. He inserted the chip and stitched the wound closed.

"that wasn't so bad was it Bulma?" Brocco asked her in SL.

"No, I guess you were right. Hey! The chip works! I'm speaking the language!" Bulma beamed at Brocco, her eyes alight with amusement.

Brocco rolled her eyes, "Of course it works, dummy. Now I have to take you to get measured for your joining ceremony." They left the medical wing and walked down the hallway back to Bulma's room.

"Joining ceremony? Don't you mean 'shokon'?" Bulma frowned as the Japanese word slipped out, "Is there no Saiyan word for that union?"

"I guess not," Brocco shrugged, opening the door with her code, "I have a package to pick up. You stay here. I should be back in a few minutes."

Bulma decided to check out the panel in her room that had the strange figures on it. _What in the world could this be? Let's see...it's kind of like a pager; you can write commands or _

_contact a chef or a cleaning slave, or...hmm...looks like a repair man. Cool!_ Bulma used the panel to order lunch to be sent to her room two hours later.

Brocco came in her room with a small carton. She dropped it on Bulma's bed, "Well, you can start reading these tomorrow, or after your test. After I order lunch--"

"I already did that," Bulma interrupted, feeling proud of herself, "It should be here in an hour and a half."

The commander nodded, "While we're waiting for lunch, I'm going to teach you some basic etiquette, we'll get you measured later. Pretend that I'm the Queen and you are a slave. How do you acknowledge me?"

"Your Highness?"

Brocco rolled her eyes, "Yes, okay, and how will I greet you?"

"Uh..."

"I don't. Slaves are the lowest life forms. We have a very simple system. It pretty much has four parts. At the bottom are slaves, then is the 3rd class, containing weak soldiers and some of the more privileged slaves, next is 2nd class, containing strong fighters, like myself, specialists, like doctors or chefs, and a few nobles, at the very top is royalty; the King and, soon, you, the Queen of Vegetaseii."

Bulma grinned, "So basically, I came from the bottom of this hierarchy all the way to the top."

Brocco ignored her, "How you greet each person changes depending on what class they are in. The lower three levels bow at the waist if in the presence of someone of higher stature for only a short period of time. Slaves are usually ignored unless an order is to be given, when they see you, they are supposed to get on their knees and put their faces to the ground to show their inferiority. Third class you may acknowledge but usually that is not done; they are too stupid to remember any significant type of formality, so they are supposed to stand at attention until you release them. Second class gets on one knee with the right hand on the heart, you are allowed to speak with them as much as you like, and finally, the king. When you greet him in public, you smile and lower your eyes to show your submission to his will and he is supposed to offer you his arm. I doubt he'll do it though." Brocco stopped to take a breath and Bulma spoke up.

"Why wouldn't he?" she demanded, feeling offended.

"The king has never really been one to do anything that could be mistaken as emotion. The closest thing he has to a friend is the First Commander, which he will deny, of course," Brocco said, laughing bitterly.

"What is the king like? I don't know anything about him and I'm supposed to...join with him in two days."

Brocco sat down, "Well, the King is a very complicated man. While he was just the prince, he was wild. He and Nappa were always off conquering and destroying planets devastating thousands. He's never shown any remorse for what he's done; at least not to any living Saiyan. Nor has he ever shown any type of affection for another person; in all of his 26 years, he has never been told he was loved, nor has he ever loved anyone. Many Saiyans look down upon those who display emotions and feelings; we are only allowed to express ourselves when in private. King Vegeta doesn't ever express **any emotion, except for anger."**

Bulma sighed, "Great, I get to marry an introverted murderer. Not every girl is as lucky as I must be."

Brocco rolled her eyes, and then turned towards the door as she heard someone approaching.

A slave stumbled over to the two women; she straightened herself and put the tray down before bowing to Brocco jerkily. She stole a glance at the two and then let out a gasp. "You!" she said loudly in English: it was the American woman who stood behind Bulma in line.

Bulma answered her in the same language, glad for a distraction, "Yes, it's me. How are you?"

The redhead laughed, "Well, I'm alive, and that's about all I can say. You look well."

"Thanks...what was your name?"

"Rachel Green, and you're Bulma. Everyone in the slaves' quarters is talking about you."

Bulma shifted uncomfortably. "Oh..."

Brocco cleared her throat and ordered Rachel to leave. "What was that all about?" she asked Bulma after the slave left.

_So, Saiyans don't speak English that's definitely something worth remembering._

"Nothing. Let's eat, I'm starving."

*****

Vegeta closed his eyes in annoyance as the tailor jabbed him with a pin for the third time. With his eyes still closed, he sent the unlucky tailor on his way to the next dimension. He was in a terrible mood as of late and he was more than willing to release his anger on anyone who crossed his path.

The preparations for the ceremony were finally done, and had been simple. The only hard thing was mentally**preparing Vegetaseii's ruler.**

It was well known amongst his people that their king was largely skeptical of any type of feelings, and he simply considered them as weaknesses. After cowardice, tears were his least favorite thing, which is why he only appointed slaves and officials that would not cower in his shadow or cry upon looking into his cold fathomless black eyes.

Vegeta felt no real strong feelings for his future Queen except for admiration. She had shown no fear of him or for her life, and the reproach in those angry blue eyes had almost taken his breath away. _There is probably no woman on the entire planet that hates me as much as she does, the king thought in amusement. __This joining should be an interesting one..._

*****

"You have an hour to finish all 165 pages of this test. It's really long but it gives an accurate assessment of a person's intelligence." The doctor told Bulma, "When, or IF you finish, put your test through this slot and I can let you know how you did in about 15-20 minutes. Here's something to write with and you can get started."

Bulma felt like laughing at the doctor, _'If _I finish', that is such a joke._ She opened the test and read the first question, __This is a little harder than I thought it would be, but if I don't ace it, I'll be suprised._

_*****_

"Congratulations, you aced the test with a perfect score." the doctor told her in amazement about 40 minutes later.

Bulma smirked, _I knew it_.

****

"What do you mean she made a perfect score?"

"She didn't miss any of the questions sire, the intelligence assessment official told me that she even elaborated on some of the multiple choice answers," Brocco told the king excitedly.

_Who would have guessed? She certainly doesn't look like a genius, yet she has outscored every single person on the planet...even me._ Vegeta grimaced as he remembered his own score, a ninety-two. He had been proud of it at the time, because up until then, it was the highest a Saiyan had ever scored on the test, but now this female had easily beaten him, getting all 415 questions right.

"Congratulate her for me, will you Commander? And make sure you remember your assignment."

*****

The next day, Brocco woke Bulma up at the same time, 0700 hours, with breakfast. "The ceremony is tomorrow, we have a lot to cover today."

Bulma groaned and hid her head under her pillow, "Tomorrow? I'm not even close to being ready yet!."

"Time waits for no one, rise and shine or we're going to be off schedule." Brocco demanded yanking the covers off of the bed, "Where's that damn maid? She's supposed to be doing this each morning," she grumbled to herself, as Bulma stumbled out of the bed, grabbed some clothes and got into the shower.

After Bulma finished, Brocco beckoned for her to come closer. "More briefing for today and you'll have plenty of time to read those books I brought you. You'll get to retire early tonight so that you will be ready for the ceremony."

Bulma grimaced at the mention of the ceremony, "Whatever you say. I'm just looking forward to outranking you and for the day when you will bow to me."

Brocco grinned at Bulma, "I can't wait either. Anyway you do know what you're to do, right?"

"I'm to have a son for Vegeta so he can have an heir." Bulma answered angrily as she ate her breakfast.

Brocco twisted a strand of her shoulder length black hair nervously, "Yes, that's right. I trust you are experienced in such things, or at least know of them?"

Bulma shook her head, "I was waiting for the right person before I thought of anything like that." _And look where that got you Bulma forced into marriage with a murdering alien who kills with out a second thought as to the consequences._

The Second Commander almost fell over in surprise. "Well, that's fine...I guess. The king will deal with that. Let's see...oh yes. I was supposed to go over the ceremony procedures with you. You and the King will share a glass of wine, the shaman will talk to you in the Old Tongue, then he'll repeat it in our current language. You'll repeat what he says in the SL. Then he'll ask another question for both you and King Vegeta to answer, but I don't know what, because the ceremony differs from couple to couple. Everything else will be pretty obvious and I'll be there if you need any assistance."

"Thank you, Brocco," Bulma said, gratefully.

"Remember to call me Commander or Second Commander around others," Brocco chided. "Now come on, we need to check the tailor's to see if they finished your garments for tomorrow."

Bulma followed Brocco out, "But I haven't even been measured yet."

"It'll only take a second."

The two walked down a corridor and finally reached the tailor's room. Brocco entered a code and the door opened. The shop appeared to be empty.

"Do I get a code to open doors also?" Bulma asked eagerly, the prospect of being somehow involved in technology exciting her to some extent.

"No, the day you are joined, the panels throughout Vegetaseii will be programmed to open at the sound of your voice."

A man walked up to them from the shadows of the shop, "Commander Brocco. So nice to see you...and who is this: a gift perhaps? I was just talking about getting a new slave the other day."

Bulma scowled at him and started to reply when Brocco cut her off, "This is the chosen one."

"What a waste. The king could never 'love' her properly," he leered at Bulma.

"I could arrest you now for treason, Toma--"

The tailor waved his hand dismissively at Brocco's threat, "You're here to see the ceremonial outfit I presume?"

"Right."

He reached into a wardrobe behind him, "I need the lady's measurements." He came out with a small computer with long cords with clamps and a bag in his hands; he attached the clamps to the bag, "Hold still so I can properly scan for your size." He moved the computer within a foot of her and slowly moved it from her head to her feet.

Bulma watched in amazement as she saw the lumps in the bag shrink to her size, exactly. Toma tossed her the sack.

"My mate and I will see you tomorrow at the ceremony. You two can see yourselves out I believe." And with that said he retreated into the back of his shop.

Brocco took the bag from Bulma and left the room shaking her head at Toma's attitude. She glanced at a watch on her wrist and as they stopped in front of the door to Bulma's door she held a hand out to halt Bulma.

"Bulma, this will be the last time I will talk to you as your superior. It is exactly 1400 hours. You know how to order lunch, so do so. When you are done, read those books if you have time and try to think about everything I've taught you; I know it wasn't much, but I did my best. Your maid that the king has chosen for you will wake you up at 0700 hours and she will help you with everything. The next time I see you, you will outrank me. You have been a friend and I thank you for that. I will be proud to serve under you," Brocco said sadly.

Bulma felt her eyes water, "Thank you so much Broc--Commander. You have been a good friend to me." She hugged the Saiyan, who was suprised at first, but then hugged her back. Brocco entered the code to open the door and waited for Bulma to get inside before leaving.

*** **** ***

End of Chapter Two

Let me know what you think! Email me at clairesse0123@yahoo.com with comments, suggestions, or whatever. Thanks!

BULMA16/ Claire-Chan


	3. Chapter Three

I didn't do this in the last chapter, but I want to thank everybody who emailed me! You all just give me a warm tingly feeling inside...oh wait that would be my extra strength allergy medicine.

**Important notice! My computer did something stupid, and I think that some revisions I made in chapter one didn't show up: Radditz was a traitor, he joined up with Freeza, and Vegeta killed him too. Bardock killed himself after finding out that his son was a traitor, so that's why they're not around. Also, the ship Nappa was flying in the beginning was a purging ship, yet the Saiyans did no purging. All they did was evacuate suitable candidates. I think that's all. If I find anything else, I'll let you know!**

There are a couple of things keeping Bulma from trying to escape. One is Chichi, the other is her uncertainty to the whereabouts of Yamcha, third is the kindness of Brocco, and last is her fear of Vegeta. Instead of trying to escape, Bulma is just really defiant and not concerned whether she is about to die. In the very beginning, she would have died for not bowing, if it hadn't been for Chichi.

**DISCLAIMER**: Sadly, DBZ is not mine, and neither is Vegeta. BUT in my dreams, I own him *Claire cracks a whip* Oh yeah!

*********

MiNd GaMeS: Chapter 3 

"Wake up! It's time to get ready," a cheerful voice cried out in English, waking Bulma from a deep sleep.

"Rachel?"

"Ah, you remembered me. I'm so glad. I just got the good news two hours ago; I get to work for you now!"

Bulma tried to smile as she roused herself out of bed, "I'm glad I'll have someone around that I can talk to."

"Well, I want to make a good impression on the king, so I am going to make you as beautiful as I can. First go take a shower while I prepare everything."

Bulma rolled her eyes and walked into the shower.

As soon as she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked back into the room, pushing her wet aqua hair out of her eyes. "Sorry Rachel, but I got my hair all wet. It's long, so it will take a long time to dry."

Rachel shook her head, "Not that's fine! I'll just add some mousse and it will dry curly. Now sit down so I can get started."

****

"Wow, sometimes I even amaze myself. You look stunning: I'm almost tempted to worship you myself." Rachel beamed.

"You've outdone yourself Rachel!" Bulma gasped. Her long and curly aqua hair was up in a chignon with strands around her face. Rachel had put two white flowers in her hair to accentuate the blue, "Don't even ask where I got them. The gardener will kill me." She dusted shimmer powder over Bulma's face and blew some onto her hair, "I'm not going to give you much make-up: you don't really need it." All that she allowed Bulma to apply was mascara, eyebrow pencil, and shiny lip-gloss. She filed Bulma's nails and applied clear polish to make them shine.

"Now, let's get you dressed." The American woman carefully helped Bulma into the two-piece outfit. It was a navy blue, low necked, with one long sleeve that went around the middle finger, and a short sleeve that went to the elbow. This part of the outfit was connected by two thin pieces of fabric--one in the front and one in the back--to low-cut, tight fitting black pants that ended only a few inches above her knees. "Last are these boots." She helped Bulma get into the soft to the touch calf high boots with a half-inch heel (the boots could appear to be navy blue or black, depending on how the light hit them).

"I love these," Bulma beamed. I feel like some kind of warrior princess or something, she thought, as she looked in the mirror at her reflection. She bit her lip as she imagined the cold face of her future 'mate.' Maybe being 'joined' with him won't be so bad. Maybe I should try being more optimistic. She thought, leaving the mirror as Rachel called her.

"It's almost time for the ceremony. I'm so excited for you," Rachel beamed, "It's time for us to go, but while we are walking there, I've been instructed to make you wear this." She frowned slightly as she pulled out a large black garment from a bag and helped Bulma put it on. It was a long cloak with a hood that covered her completely.

Bulma sighed and pulled the hood on hiding her face almost completely if she kept her head down. Rachel smiled as she opened the door, "This is going to be tough. I have to lead you, which will be really hard if a lot of the higher ranking people are outside." She gently pulled a corner of Bulma's cloak after her and down the empty corridor. Their footsteps echoed in the silence, and Bulma was afraid that this might be some kind of bad omen for her future.

Rachel stopped abruptly, "This is the end of the road for me, Bulma. Slaves are not permitted in a sacred ceremony like this one. I wish you the best of luck." She hugged 

Bulma briefly, then quickly walked away.

Bulma looked up at the door, it was made of something that resembled oak, huge double doors that were at least eight feet tall, with stained glass which surprised Bulma. She took a deep breath and opened one of the doors and stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind her. 

The confused woman was instantly apprehended by two Saiyan shaman. They took her by her elbows to another door and motioned for Bulma to stay where she was and to take the cloak off The two men opened the second door and left after grabbing several medium sized boxes made of a very dark, scented wood. 

_What the hell is going on here?_ Bulma wondered. She frowned in puzzlement as she heard Saiyans on the other side of the door chanting, "Hail King Vegeta!"

The earth woman nearly jumped in surprise as the second door opened once again and one of the Saiyan shamans beckoned for her to follow him outside to the waiting crowd.

As soon as Bulma walked through the entryway, there was an instant cease to the chanting, and polite (and somewhat strained) clapping took its place. Bulma felt a pang of nervousness and the forced half-smile she had unconsciously put on began to fade as she contemplated her chances of survival if she tried to escape. Hundreds of elite Saiyans sat all around the platform, and there were even box seats. As if he could read her thoughts, the king met her eyes and unmistakably smirked at the fear that could plainly be read on her face. Bulma flushed, _If__ that's a challenge monkey boy, then you're on,_ she thought, her confidence rising dramatically. She put a superior smile on her face and seemed to radiate confidence and composure. Vegeta noticed the change and slightly inclined his head in approval before turning away from her.

The two shamen had set their boxes on a long oak table lit with candles, that Bulma hadn't noticed before. The higher of the two shamans motioned for Vegeta and Bulma to advance toward the table in front of him. He finally started the ceremony off, and as he spoke, his partner took a golden goblet encrusted with jewels from one of the boxes and began to fill it with a deep red liquid. Bulma gulped, and turned her eyes to the main shaman as he addressed the spectators: "My fellow Saiyan brethren; today is truly a day worthy of celebration, for on this day we will be joining, one earthling, Bulma, and our ruler, King Vegeta, for the benefit of our entire race." He gestured grandly toward the two, prompting the audience into applause. He waited as it finally began to die down, then nodded to his partner, who had stealthily been moving toward Bulma, unnoticed. He deftly grabbed her fragile wrist and before she could even react, jabbed it with a small dirk.

Shocked almost beyond belief, Bulma bit her lip and turned pale as she watched the shaman squeeze her blood into the goblet, _How__ **convenient** that Brocco forgot to tell me this minor detail. Gosh this hurts like a bitch!_ To her surprise, the wound quickly disappeared and the pain along with it.

Vegeta held his wrist out to the other shaman silently and received the same treatment. All the while, Vegeta kept his cold gaze on Bulma, mocking her mutely with his eyes, as if he dared her to try and stop what was happening. Bulma scowled at the king's antics, but kept silent.

Finally, the brahmen finished with Vegeta and began to chant in an ancient language that Bulma and even many of the other Saiyans could not understand. He finally held the goblet out to Vegeta and in the SL translated what he had been saying, "Drink the blood of your mate, and of yourself. Know them both, for they shall become one." Vegeta's eyes finally left Bulma's as he took the goblet and quickly downed a large gulp wiping his mouth when he was done, and receiving raucous applause from his subjects.

Bulma felt as though she was stuck in a giant spider's web, held immobile as the spider slowly advanced on her..._Snap out of it Bulma! Gather your bearings and suck it up. Don't let that arrogant asshole get the best of you._ She told herself, ignoring Vegeta's challenging eyes. She took the goblet from the shaman (who had just taken it from the king) who repeated the phrase to her then translated it. Many of the Saiyans smirked, waiting eagerly as they anticipated the human's revulsion to drinking blood, and hoping she would make a scene (remember, chaos is a Saiyan's best friend). 

Bulma quickly put the goblet to her lips and drank, before she lost her nerve. She waited for the revolting taste she was sure the blood made of the drink, but it never came. The wine was like none on Earth nor any anywhere else. It was thick and somehow, had a kind of strange 'fruity' taste to it. Yet in all of this, Bulma could taste something else, just as thick, yet...she didn't know how to describe it_; it's got to be Vegeta's blood_. She handed the goblet to the shaman, unconsciously licking her lips and this earned her the respect of the Saiyans. 

Vegeta watched this little display in well-disguised amusement, as (under orders of the shaman) he moved much closer to the woman.

The shaman took a small, yet elegant, tiara and an equally small and elegant, but UNMISTAKABLY masculine crown out of the box. He handed Vegeta the tiara, and told him in the SL, "Repeat after me: 'Bulma, I take you now as my mate for life. With you by my side, I shall rule Vegetaseii justly and do my utmost to keep it prosperous.'" 

Vegeta repeated the phrase, either consciously or not (Bulma wasn't sure which) emphasizing 'I take you.' He placed the tiara gently atop her head of curls; brushing her forehead with his hand as he did so and making Bulma shiver involuntarily, and avert her eyes from him.

She assumed an air of confidence as her turn was reached and she repeated after the shaman, "Vegeta, I come to you as your mate for life. At your side I will stay as you rule Vegetaseii justly and prosperously." She placed the crown on Vegeta's head a little more roughly than she needed to in her anger, but Vegeta ignored her, looking to the audience.

He advanced purposely towards the audience, and holding onto Bulma's arm, he brandished her towards the silent Saiyans, "Bow. Bow before your queen." He said this quietly, yet everyone in the room heard him, and displayed inferiority and submission by bowing (each depending on class).

Bulma noticed Brocco in the front row, along with Nappa, both kneeling on one knee with their right hands over their hearts. Bulma smiled as she saw her friend and recalled what she had said to her earlier, she felt a rush of power surge through her as she observed her subjects kneeling before her.

Vegeta glanced at her briefly, noting her expression before speaking to the other Saiyans again, "Rise."

Every Saiyan in the room (except Vegeta) rose and cheered uproariously for hours, most meeting their new queen. She grew tired as she greeted Saiyans of each type, but grew especially weary of the second class males, because the protocol stated that they were allowed to kiss her hand in greeting _another tiny detail Brocco saw fit to omit_.

Bulma smiled outwardly, but in truth she was thinking, _I am sick and tired of being slobbered on by these...baboons!_ She scowled as she saw her 'mate' coming to her side from the other side of the room. He gave no outward sign of his intention as he took her arm and made their excuses to everyone (thus, ending the strange 'celebration'). 

As soon as they left sight of all, he dropped her arm as though it was a hot coal, and put at least half a foot of distance between them as they walked to his quarters. Bulma scowled, but didn't say anything into the tense silence.

Vegeta stopped in front of his door, saying 'open,' then walking in, closely followed by Bulma. He turned to her a little angrily as the door closed behind her. "Listen here, woman. I am aware that you had no choice in joining with me, but to be honest, neither did I. If I had my way I would have chosen someone more worthy to bear my son."

Bulma was speechless, partly in surprise and nervousness, but mostly due to anger.

Vegeta shook his head in apparent disgust and left her so he could shower.

Bulma glared after him, and finally regained control over her voice box, "Asshole," she hissed, but of course, he didn't hear her.

She sighed in defeat and collapsed tiredly on the bed just before she remembered what was about to happen in it. She sprang out of it and glanced about herself anxiously. The room was huge, very expensive looking, and gorgeous. It was done mostly in blue, with gold and silver trim. There was something resembling a sofa and a few armchairs, with a small table in a room off of the bedroom. A few feet from the bed was the door leading to the bathroom and around the corner was the largest kitchen Bulma had EVER seen; there were extra-large refrigerators, something resembling a stove, and many large cabinets that went up to the ceiling, along with many other over-sized kitchen appliances. 

Against her better judgment, her eyes went back to the large bedroom; inside were two large wardrobes, a chest of drawers, and a vanity, which she knew, was there especially for her. The vanity definitely stood out amongst the unfamiliarity of the room and Bulma smiled, unconsciously relaxing as she did.

She walked to the bed again, and noticed a nightgown that was laid out for her. The anxious female quickly stripped down to her underwear and put the garment on. It didn't bother her that it was almost transparent, and revealing with a low neckline and with a hem that barely went mid-thigh; as far as she was concerned, Vegeta would never lay eyes on it. She quickly called 'lights off' and buried herself beneath the covers in the farthest corner of the bed from where Vegeta would come when he left the shower. She almost gasped as the King opened the door and stepped out from a cloud of steam in a pair of black boxers, his form could clearly be seen in the light in the bathroom, before he called for it to shut off. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to breathe evenly and not to move a muscle as he approached the bed. He got in very gently and instantly moved to the middle of the bed, leaving only a foot between them.

"Don't bother pretending woman. I know you're still awake," he mocked, even though he wasn't facing her. Bulma opened her eyes in anger and surprise and glared at his back, barely restraining herself from hitting him. She could hear the veiled amusement in his voice as he continued, "As much satisfaction as I'll be denying you, I have no intention of touching you tonight. So your virtue is safe...at least for now." Her eyes widened at this speech, but she remained silent.

Very soon, she heard a light snore from Vegeta. _Finally! I thought he'd never go to sleep!_ She gently propped herself up on one elbow to examine him, _Too bad he's such an egotistical, homicidal, cocky little asshole, I'm almost tempted to fall in love with him...that is, if I wasn't already in love with Yamcha._ She blinked rapidly as she remembered her lover. _What could have happened to him, I'll ask someone to find him for me._

Bulma almost screamed as she noticed something moving near hand; it was his tail. _I almost forgot that he had one, and that he was an alien. Heck, if it wasn't for the tail, and him being so evil, he'd be really human-like. _She sucked in her breath suddenly as his tail suddenly wrapped itself around her wrist. She gently pulled her arm to free herself, but the furry appendage only tightened its grip. The new Queen gave up, lying down on the bed in defeat. The fur on the tail was soft and warm against her skin; the grip it had on her was firm, yet not painful. She sighed and closed her eyes. _This is so weird,_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

*****

Well, there's the end of chapter three! What did you think? Let me know in your review!


	4. Chapter Four

Hi all, Claire here. I'm slowly but surely getting to work on revising all my old MG chapters so I can get them up here. If you have any questions or comments just email me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: DBZ doesn't belong to me. It's sad but true. 

**MiNd GaMeS: Chapter Four**

*****

The new Queen of Vegetaseii woke up when 0700 hours came. She was tired, but it was bearable. She smiled, then frowned as she realized that Vegeta was still in bed. _At least his damn tail finally let me go._

She crept out of the bed and got into the shower, which woke her up and made her feel a hundred times better. She wrapped her hair in one towel and then herself in another, and quietly made her way back into the bedroom, only to find that Vegeta was wide awake, propped up on one elbow and staring at her openly.

Bulma blushed profusely, then recovered as she realized something, _This towel probably conceals more of my body than that extremely tight joining outfit did_. With this in mind she met Vegeta's staring eyes, "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a woman in a towel before?" she snapped.

A sly smile slowly reached Vegeta's lips, but he didn't answer her. He lay on his back on the bed, with his arms as a cushion. He closed his eyes, but even then, Bulma felt that he was still watching her. She walked to the chest of drawers, only to find drawer after drawer of Vegeta's clothes.

"If you're looking for female garments, you might want to try your wardrobe." he said, eyes still closed, he pointed to the wider of the two. She stalked over there and found more clothes than she had had in Capsule Corp. Unbelievable. There were even dresses in there. Shoes also. _And all of it was made just for me. I guess that Toma guy recorded my measurements or something_. 

She furrowed her brows and bit her lip unconsciously as she tried to decide what to wear. She decided to just grab something, and as she trudged back to the bathroom to change, Vegeta spoke, "Breakfast in five minutes."

She nodded at him and quickened her pace, earning a chuckle from her mate. He sat up in the bed moving to his own wardrobe to dress. For the time being, he was willing to allow his mate her 'modesty', a foreign word to the entire Saiyan race. He pulled his usual blue spandex and armor on, then went to the kitchen to wait for breakfast to be done.

*****

Bulma sighed as she stared at her reflection in the small mirror. Her hair was in a messy bun at the nape of her neck, her face was pale, and she could have sworn she saw black circles beginning to develop under her eyes. The outfit she had 'chosen' was spandex, and it was black. Very plain. It was much like what Vegeta wore under his armor, only the sleeves went to her elbows, and to her knees with a V-shaped neck that was pretty revealing. _It's not as if I'm going to actually go anywhere, anyway. Vegeta made it perfectly clear that all he wanted from me was an heir. So, in truth, I could probably stay in bed all day_. As soon as the thought entered her head Bulma banished it, blushing profusely as she remembered the King's statement: 'As much satisfaction as I'll be denying you...' 'your virtue is safe...at least for now'.

She stepped out of the bathroom after shoving her clothes from yesterday down a chute so that they could be cleaned. As she made her way to her wardrobe, she perked up, as she finally smelt breakfast. Forgetting her uneasiness over the King, she pulled on a soft pair of black boots that went mid-calf, and walked into the kitchen; pushing stray tendrils of blue hair out of her face.

She tensed as first she sensed, then finally saw Vegeta. _That's strange. How did I know he was there?_ She eyed the King warily as she sat across from him at the table; there were only two other seats, and Bulma wondered if he had people over to eat with him often.

He didn't acknowledge or even seem to notice her arrival. Feeling shunned, and also wanting to start things off on a better note, Bulma decided to make the first move and the way to get in good with the King was to play to his ego, "Good morning, Excellency."

Without looking at her, he answered automatically and without thought, "Is it 

really?"

Feeling hurt Bulma clenched her small fists, and then slapped an open palm on the table, finally getting Vegeta's full attention. "In case you are so dense that you didn't notice, I was trying to be civil and make an effort to make the best of this laughable situation, you cold-hearted, murdering **bastard**."

The Saiyan ruler raised an eyebrow in dry amusement; "Civility does not suit you at all. Look, you frightened the serving wench half to death."

As he knew she would, Bulma flushed at the realization that someone else had heard her yelling at the King. The wench in question placed two huge steaming plates before the rulers, turning to leave the room quickly, but not quickly enough because Bulma recognized her.

"Chichi!" She gasped.

"Have I displeased you in some way mistress?" She asked sadly in Japanese, her eyes low to the floor. She seemed to be a small shadow, a fading reminder of the Chichi she had known so well back on earth.

Bulma left her chair so quickly that it fell to the floor, "Don't be ridiculous, Chichi. I'm so happy to see you!"

The raven-haired widow looked up tentatively from under lowered lashes, "With your permission to speak, Your Highness..."

"Always." Bulma replied, in confusion.

"I am happy to serve you and I wish to start on my other duties at once."

_This is not the Chichi I remember. The Chichi I know died along with her son...and one of my best friends_.

Vegeta ate his breakfast with no pretense of ignoring the conversation that was taking place before him, _What could be important enough that the woman would need to converse with a mere servant wench_?

Bulma almost lost her composure as she forced herself to turn from Chichi and sit back in her seat at the table. "You may finish your duties Chi-- I mean, slave."

Chichi smiled happily and bowed before leaving the two rulers of Vegetaseii to eat dinner in peace. The silence during the meal was long and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Somehow, Vegeta finished all the food on his plate. He left the dishes on the table and got up abruptly, "I have some business to attend to. I will be back shortly."

Bulma pretended she didn't hear him as she toyed with the food remaining on her plate that she knew she couldn't finish.

Vegeta smirked at her silence, "Great. Not only have I joined with some baka that converses with slaves, is stupid and ugly as hell, but she's deaf as well." 

"There could not be a being more hated in the entire universe than how much I **loathe** you." The full intensity of her angry sapphire blue eyes turned on him.

The smirk left Vegeta's face and he seemed to grow taller as his anger grew, "I am well aware of your feelings toward myself. If I forget and need reminding, I will let you know." With this said, he left angrily.

Bulma was tempted to throw her plate to the floor and make a mess, in her anger but this would make more work for Chichi and she was already feeling guilty for the condition of her friend. She sighed and walked to what she now knew to be a VAP machine, or Visual and Audio Projection machine; on her planet it was a called a phone. She entered 'Second Commander Brocco' into the machine and was immediately connected with her.

"Ah, good morning Your Highness." Brocco grinned, saluting the queen.

Bulma smiled, "Hi Brocco. What are you doing?"

Brocco frowned, and looked at something to the left of her VAP, "Hurry up slave!" she snapped. "The King has called a meeting and as a matter of fact, I'm late." she said turning back to Bulma.

At the mention of the King, Bulma scowled, "How nice for him." She said sarcastically.

As Brocco pulled on her armor over her bodysuit, she looked to Bulma in the screen, "How are you and King Vegeta getting along?"

"We're **not** getting along at all. I despise him."

Brocco shifted her eyes from the screen uneasily at the mention of the Queen's intense dislike for the man she had been raised to serve all her life. "Just give him a chance, my Queen."

"Just call me Bulma, Brocco."

The Second Commander grinned, "Only in private. Oh yes, you'll start to feel strange soon. It'll only be minor discomfort, and it's no big deal."

Bulma frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, remember when you drank from the goblet and the shaman told you that your blood and the King's would become one? That's what's happening. You'll be able to sense him quite distinctly and at times you'll have a sort of... link between you...but that's all." _At least, that's all I'm going to tell you for now._

"'That's all'! I don't want to have anything to do with him, and now you're saying that...ugh." Bulma shuddered as she imagined any kind of link she may develop with the detested King.

Brocco sighed in defeat, then jumped as she remembered what she was supposed to be doing, "Oh no! Now I'm REALLY late. I have to go Bulma. I'll talk to you later." And with that she hung up, making the VAP go blank.

Bulma sighed into the silence. _There's absolutely nothing for me to do here._ She thought angrily "Wait a second. I was going to look for Yamcha. That's something to do." Taking a deep breath to get her courage up, she opened the door and left Vegeta's room. She walked down the private corridor carefully, terrified that any moment Vegeta would appear and stop her. She held her head high as she finally entered the main hallway.

Saiyans throughout the hallway were startled to see her, but bowed according to protocol. She gestured for them to rise, and she finally spotted a second-class Saiyan bent on one knee. She told him to rise, "Could you tell me where I could find the male slaves quarters?" 

The Saiyan looked mildly surprised but nodded, asking her to follow him since he was on his way there in the first place. Some of the second-class Saiyans frowned at her as she passed, angry that the King had taken a weak human, and not one of their own kind. As Bulma neared a small complex, she felt a shiver down her spine, _How could anyone stand living there? I bet the women's is worse. No wonder Chichi has gone nuts_. Her Saiyan 'escort' left her to the guards, bowing as he left. A guard walked in front of her, and one behind, both with their tails lashing close to the bars of the cell as if they were daring one of the slaves to try and grab them.

Bulma moved as close to the bars as she dared, "Is there a man from Earth named Yamcha in there?" she asked loudly in her native language.

There was silence, until a man moved to the front, "Bulma!" Yamcha was looking tired, dirty, but otherwise healthy.

"Yamcha; oh thank Kami, I'm so glad you're all right." She sighed in relief.

"You're looking well." He stated, a certain hardness to his voice. "I heard you got yourself married to that damned monkey King."

Bulma looked at Yamcha angrily; "Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I don't see how it's any business of yours."

Yamcha laughed bitterly, "I'd say it is my business. You were supposed to be marrying me, in case you forgot Bulma."

"I **never** forgot that Yamcha. Why do you think I came here to see you?" Bulma said, keeping herself from yelling.

"I don't know. Why did you come here? Maybe your damn monkey didn't amount to as much as you expected and now you've come crawling back to me." he said with disgust written all over his face.

Bulma sucked in her breath; "You don't mean that Yamcha. You _can't_."

He sneered at her, "I **do** and I **can**, _Your Highness_."

"Then you can go to hell Yamcha, right along with King Vegeta. Screw both of you! What in Kami's name was I thinking when I came down here to see you? You friggin' asshole!" she yelled.

Yamcha jumped a little, but remained silent. With a withering glance serving as farewell, Bulma spun on her heel and left. She fumed all the way back to Vegeta's, scowling at all who crossed her path. She angrily said 'open' and stepped through the door, only to be confronted by Vegeta. 

"Just where the hell did you go?"

Still furious at Yamcha, Bulma yelled back, "None of you damned business so get out of my face!" She attempted to move to one side of the King, but he grabbed her wrist, angrily pulling her against him. Bulma didn't move as she sensed his barely controlled anger.

"I will ask once more and you will answer. Where were you?" he asked quietly, staring into her eyes and unconsciously tightening his grip on her.

Bulma forced herself to look away from his deep onyx eyes, "I was in the slaves quarters." She admitted.

"Why?"

She flinched as she anticipated his reaction to her reply, "I--I had to see if my...friend was still alive."

His eyes flashed in some emotion for a second before he regained his icy countenance, "And was your 'betrothed' still alive?"

Bulma frowned and wondered how he knew that until she remembered her first discussion with him. "Yes, he was."

He let go of her wrist then and crossed his arms over his chest, "Was he glad to see you?" he asked casually.

Bulma rubbed her wrist unconsciously and glared into Vegeta's eyes, "Not that it's any of your business, but no, he was anything but happy to see me." _Thanks to you_.

Vegeta's eyes reflected surprise for a minute, then it disappeared, "Understandable." he smirked, and walked to his quarters.

Bulma cursed him silently as she followed him into the bedroom, "And just what am I supposed to do all day if I'm not allowed to go out?"

Vegeta pulled his armor over his head, "I never said you weren't allowed to go anywhere. You may go anywhere in the palace that you choose, as long as you have a suitable escort."

"May I take Bro--the Second Commander with me?" She suddenly pleaded, her blue eyes staring into his.

The King noted the familiar way she said Brocco's name and shrugged his shoulders, "If it pleases you."

Bulma beamed at him, "Thank you, Vegeta." She ran past him, and to the VAP to call Brocco, so she didn't see the look of amazement on Vegeta's face.

"Hey Brocco. It's Bulma again."

Brocco grinned, "I thought as much. Is the King there?"

"Yes. You were right about him. He said that the only way I can leave my room, is if you were with me, so please say yes." She said hurriedly.

"Sure. I'll be over there in a few minutes, OK? I just have to get one of my good for nothing slaves to fetch my breakfast, since I missed it this morning."

"Thanks Brocco." Bulma hung up the phone and the screen went blank. "Vegeta? The commander says she'll take me." she called into the bedroom.

Vegeta emerged in a black bodysuit that complimented every muscle on his body, pulling on his white gloves and boots as he went, "Where's my damned scouter?" he growled, ignoring the once happy look on his mate's face.

"How should I know? I don't even know what a scouter is." She snapped back at him as he hurriedly pulled his armor over his head.

He shot her a venomous look before bending over and searching under the couch, "How the hell did it get under here?" he asked no one in particular as he put it over his right eye and turned it on. His tail swished behind him impatiently and as he folded his arms and glared at Bulma once again, she shivered involuntarily at how evil he looked. Vegeta suddenly looked to the door; "There's Brocco. You can go now."

_Thank Kami for that_. Bulma thought as she opened the door before Brocco could open it. She stepped back in surprise as she saw a similar scouter with green glass fixated on her friend's face. "What's going on?" she demanded.

Brocco's eyes immediately went to the King before she answered, "It's nothing, Your Highness. There is an alien race visiting the planet and this is how we stay in contact while they're here."

Bulma frowned, but shrugged, stepping out of the room and letting the door close behind her.

"Where are we going?" Brocco asked opening the door that led to the main hallway. It was surprisingly cleared of Saiyans completely. Every once in a while a slave would hurry past them, bowing as they did so.

"I don't know. I'd like to look at your science wing if you have one." Brocco nodded and turned left then right. "Here it is." She stated as she opened the door.

Twenty or more Saiyan scientists were bustling around the room, many wearing scouters, and working on something.

"What is that?" Bulma gasped.

Brocco stared at the queen in exasperation; "Surely you've seen a Saiyan space pod before?"

"Well...yes I have." Bulma said sadly.

Brocco changed the subject; "This is all they're working on right now. We don't really have much need for any other technology, except for maybe a better regeneration tank."

"Regeneration tank? What the hell is that?"

"It is a tank that will heal a person completely after they receive injury. Every Saiyan has spent time in there at one point in their life." Brocco frowned in recollection.

Bulma sighed, "Can I go see your ship port?"

"Sure." After walking what seemed to Bulma like five miles, they came to the dome that looked out at the ship port.

"Can't we go outside?" Bulma pouted.

"I don't think humans can breathe in outer space. So we'll just look from this window, okay?"

The queen sighed, but didn't answer as she watched the alien race departing from the ship. They were bluish, with red eyes on the sides of their heads. The largest one seemed to be the ruler and he was talking earnestly to the First Commander. Brocco suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Bulma demanded.

Brocco pointed to the scouter before turning it off, "I can hear everything everyone with a scouter on is saying with this thing on, and I just heard the ruler of the Surmfs call that fat-head First Commander Nappa a moron."

Bulma rolled her eyes and went back to watching the scene outside. Brocco shrugged and turned her scouter back on. Bulma gasped as she saw Vegeta make his way over to the leader. Though he was shorter, what he lacked in size, he made up for in charisma and the Surmfs looked clearly daunted by the King of Vegetaseii. She pressed her face closer to the glass as she saw Vegeta gesture to the ruler of the Surmfs, and he clearly flinched. She could tell this amused Vegeta, even from a distance. The 'alien' nodded, and he and his followers were led by Nappa to a different part of the castle. As though he sensed someone was watching him, Vegeta began to scan the windows that all looked out at the port. Before he could see her, Bulma backed away hastily and motioned for Brocco to do the same.

"Let's go Brocco." She whispered.

"Wait. I-I have to tell you something first." Brocco said reluctantly, turning her scouter off again.

"Yes?" Bulma asked, puzzled at her friend's actions.

"Let's talk in my room, okay?" The two females walked out of the dome, and walked down the main hallway to the second class Saiyan rooms. "Here's mine." Brocco said, entering a code. She walked in, closely followed by the now intrigued Bulma.

Brocco's room was smaller than hers was, but it had pretty much the same things (except the vanity), only smaller. Her room (and all other second-class Saiyans) was done in red with gold trim.

"So, what did you want to tell me Brocco?"

The older woman bit her lip to keep from telling everything at once, I've got to be calm or else Bulma will totally freak out. "Bulma...when a Saiyan takes a mate, it's for life. You know that right?"

Bulma frowned slightly in recollection, "I believe the shaman mentioned that."

"Yes well, I know how much you dislike the King, but my loyalty goes first to him, then to you. That is how I've been raised and I can not change that, but as your...friend, I have to tell you that if you bond with the King, you will be stuck with him for all eternity."

"What do you mean bond with him?" Bulma asked wearily.

"You can never truly know what it's like until it happens to you. But, when you're bonded is when you truly become one with your mate."

"I see. And how does this bonding take place?"

Brocco shifted uneasily on the heels of her white boots and her tail showed her discomfort plainly by twitching nervously behind her, "Well, it happens when the King accepts you as an equal, and begins to display emotions for you. It'll appear as a sort of mark on your shoulder."

Bulma grinned, "Well, I don't have to worry about it because the King hates my guts almost as much as I hate him."

Brocco rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Well, are you leaving now?" she asked, not unkindly.

"Yep. I'll see you when I see you." Bulma replied, waving good bye.

As she walked to her room, she couldn't help but think that she heard someone following her. She turned around several times, but she saw no one. She practically ran to Vegeta's room and as she entered the private corridor she yelled open then ran in just before the door closed.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her from the table, "You're back."

"Of course." _You can't scare me away that easily Vegetable brains_. She pulled the stray hairs out of her face and tucked them behind her ears, aware that Vegeta was watching her every move. He turned his scouter off and slid it away from him.

"You've been running. Why?" He asked coldly.

Bulma's heart stopped _Will Brocco get in trouble if I tell him I walked here alone?_ "How can you tell?" she stalled.

He stood up, "That is no concern of yours. Answer the question."

"I didn't want to miss lunch with my favorite person," she said, keeping her features expressionless. _Yeah, right_, she thought.

Vegeta didn't believe her, but dropped it since it wasn't really important; "We have a dinner guest tonight."

"Really? Who?"

Vegeta sat back down, "Why do you care?"

The earthling fumed, "Do you **always **have to turn **everything** into an argument?"

"Only for you." Vegeta said, laughing dryly.

Bulma frowned; _I don't like the direction this conversation is going. Call me stupid, but I could have sworn Vegeta admitted to special treatment of me._

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the confusion he could sense from his queen_, What did I say to confuse her_? He thought, hiding his irritation from his features, and wrapping his tail tightly around his waist, "'What are you confused about woman?" He demanded.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Bulma's eyes widened in surprise at the look on Vegeta's face. He seemed to be amused yet curious to know what was bothering her; "It's no big deal."

"Then you won't mind sharing it with me." It was not a request.

Bulma scowled at the King; "I was wondering why I get such special treatment, that's all."

Vegeta's dark eyes mocked her, "A simple question. You are to be tolerated until my heir is born, and if that means you receive 'special treatment' then so be it."

Bulma flinched at the harshness of the words; _I almost forgot how much I hated this bastard._ She averted her eyes as she walked past Vegeta to go to the bedroom. He grabbed her wrist, "I thought that you ran all the way here not to miss eating lunch with me?" He mocked, knowing she lied.

Bulma somehow snatched her wrist from him, "I've suddenly lost my appetite for some reason." she snarled, leaving. As she walked into the bedroom, she didn't notice how the room was clean and how the bed was made-up, she even forgot about Chichi in her anger and hatred for Vegeta. She angrily pulled her boots off and stripped out of her black outfit and stood looking into the wardrobe. She grabbed a somewhat fancy looking dress off of a hanger and slammed the door to the wardrobe closed. Vegeta walked in, ignoring her as he changed his boots.

He finally looked up at her, "Do you plan on pouting all day? Because if so, I'd rather the ruler of the Surmfs didn't meet you." 

Bulma glared back at him and crossed her arms underneath her bra; "I do not pout."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and eyed her coolly as she stood there in her undergarments.

"You can look, but honey, don't you touch." Bulma said seductively, smirking at him before she went to the bathroom to finish dressing in privacy.

Vegeta shook his head to clear the image of the female standing there glaring at him in her underwear before leaving the bedroom entirely. He believed the woman was going crazy and the best thing to do for a crazy female was to give her some room. He decided that it wouldn't kill him to leave a note telling her a few things. He tossed it on the bed and left.

***********

Bulma almost fell over in shock as she recalled what she just did; _I called him 'honey?' What in Kami's name was I thinking! **Was** I thinking?_ She blushed as remembered his seeing her there in her underwear, then dismissed it. _He's seen a woman in her underwear before, in less than that, I'm sure. It's no big deal, Bulma, and if it means nothing to him, it shouldn't mean anything to you either. Besides, I hate him, and that was just a way to mess with his mind. _

She had decided earlier to take a long soak in the bathtub. With luck, Vegeta would be gone before she got out. 

She nodded at her reflection in the mirror_; you did the right thing; maybe not the best thing, but the right thing_. She zipped the dress up her left side, then the other. The dress was made of clingy fabric and molded perfectly to Bulma's features. It was a shade of blue darker than her eyes with a plunging neckline. It was low backed, with long sleeves with a flap of fabric that fitted over her middle finger, while the hem of the dress went mid-thigh with slits that showed off about two more inches of her long and slender, tanned thighs. Though it was clingy, the dress was extremely easy to move around in, _I bet they made it like this so I could fight or train in it if I wanted or needed to. _

She sighed wearily as she critically eyed her waist length blue hair. Suddenly, in inspiration, she decided to wear it in a chignon like she had on the day she joined with the King. As she remembered that day her eyes flew to her tiara in remembrance.

The female gazed in the mirror to see the results so far and stuck her tongue out in her reflection. She sobered up quickly as she seriously examined her reflection_; I'm losing weight. Not only that, but I look miserable. Good, I hope Vegeta sees that and decides to release me before he tries to put any accursed bond on me._ She shuddered, imagining being with Vegeta always, and putting up with his cruel insults and cold eyes that showed no mercy for anyone; especially her.

Bulma pinched her cheeks to put some color into them before leaving the bathroom, deciding to wear some light make-up. She saw a note on the bed and picked it up before she went to the main room.

Dinner off main hall in the second dining room at 1850; if lost, ask 2nd Commander. If loss of appetite disappears you can order lunch. Won't see you until then. Don't pout and keep your attitude in check.

Bulma crumpled the note angrily. _What am I? A child? 'Keep your attitude in check'...ha, as if. She glanced at her watch, Oh my goodness! It's already six o'clock...that is 1800 hours. _She sighed and headed to the wardrobe to get something to put on her feet. Surprisingly, there was a pair of boots that matched the color of her dress perfectly, and every other dress in here. Bulma thought, shaking her head in amazement. The boots were very shiny and came just below her knees.

She walked out of the bedroom, through the main room and right out of the door, intent on giving Vegeta a show that he would never forget. _Get ready asshole, I'm going to show you how Bulma Briefs 'keeps her attitude in check'_. She smirked.

*****

**Author's note:** A little OOCness on Vegeta's part? On Bulma's part? The Chichi thing is sad. I hope no one cried. I don't hate Chichi; I tried to be fair to her character. I really don't think a strong woman like her could ever live in servitude. 

Anyways, how'd I do? Review me please! How did you like the Vegeta/Bulma interaction? Is Vegeta too nice? I tried really hard not too make him TOO nice. PLEASE! I NEED YOUR INPUT: EMAIL OR REVIEW ME (ADDRESS CLAIRESSE0123@YAHOO.COM) or Aaliyah0123@aol.com, just make sure you put something in the subject line so I don't think it's more freaking SPAM (don't even get me started on that crap…LOL) .

Ciao for now folks!

~BULMA16


	5. Chapter Five

**Mind Games: Chapter Five**

"So, you've finally chosen a mate, Vegeta? I'm curious to see who caught your eye."

"She's not a Saiyan, Ackbar."

"Really? All the better! What is she then? That Zafrite?" (This is referring to one of the women of Zafra, a planet of beautiful, yet deadly warrior women. They were much like humans except for three things: the unnatural color of their hair, either bright red, bright green, or dull pink, their unbridled passion that went above and beyond that of almost any other race, and their extreme competitiveness in ALL things). 

Vegeta shook his head slowly, "No. She's an earthling."

"I see." Ackbar set down his drink lightly, "And how did you choose her from amongst all the other females on that over-populated mud-ball?"

"You'll see shortly." Was the King's curt reply and he turned his attention to the doors that Bulma would have to walk through. He tensed slightly as he sensed her approach.

The doors opened and the Queen stepped through, looking around and becoming accustomed to the darkness in the room before finally settling her gaze on Ackbar and completely ignoring Vegeta.

Annoyed, Vegeta rose with Ackbar, "The Queen of Vegetaseii."

Bulma did not acknowledge Vegeta, "Please, call me Bulma." She said beaming at the alien, and curtseying slightly, and painfully.

Ackbar's red eyes shone in approval, "Ah Bulma. Vegeta does you an injustice. He never told me how stunningly beautiful you are."

Bulma glanced quickly at the fuming Saiyan before turning back to the ruler, "Then we have something in common, for he hasn't told me either, Your Highness."

The ruler of the Surmfs roared in laughter, "Smart too. What a catch Vegeta! Please my dear, all of my dearest friends call me Ackbar (no, Vegeta and Ackbar aren't friends. He just refuses to call the Surmf by his proper title). I would be most honored if you would sit next to me at dinner tonight, so that I may bask in your beauty."

"The pleasure would must undoubtedly be mine." Bulma answered him, smiling winningly and placing one of her small hands into his large blue one.

Vegeta fumed angrily as Ackbar led Bulma to the table then held her chair for her. As Ackbar made his way around the table and to his seat, Bulma shot Vegeta a smirk.

The three were silent as two slaves came into the room with their dinner and placed it before them, bowing on their way out.

"So, Vegeta. How long have you been joined with this delightful creature?" Ackbar said into the silence.

"Long enough." He ground out, stabbing his food viciously with his fork, and placing it into his mouth. _And then some..._

Bulma grinned wickedly, "Maybe even too long. What do you say Vegeta?" All she got was a growl in answer, so she shrugged at Ackbar. "My mate is one with few words. It's always nice to talk with someone more social and who will be able to hold their own end in a conversation. I've found the only difference between talking to a brick wall and Vegeta is that the brick wall is not as cold and unresponsive."

Ackbar grinned, "She's got you there Vegeta. I've noticed that you aren't particularly social."

A murderous glance was given to Bulma before Vegeta answered, "What my mate failed to tell you was that during the few seconds she shuts her big mouth long enough to take a breath for air is all the time I'm allotted to speak. Those are precious few seconds indeed."

Bulma's sapphire eyes flashed with anger but she controlled her emotions, tilting her head delicately to one side and leaning in closer to Ackbar, "I want to know all about you Ackbar. What are you here for? Business or pleasure?" She purred suggestively, licking her lips, and smirking as she noticed Vegeta stiffening in anger.

The Surmf grinned at his hostess; "I came here in hopes of signing a treaty with your mate, Vegeta, so that in times of crisis, we could count on receiving the Saiyans' help."

"I see," Bulma said, ignoring the increasing anger she could sense from Vegeta, "And what will Vegetaseii receive in return? Surely yours is not a warrior race? What does your planet have to offer this one in return?"

"No, no; we are not warriors. But we are farmers and traders. I hoped to set up a trade route that would aid the Saiyan race. In return for aid, this planet would receive products from us and from other planets across the galaxy."

Bulma nodded, liking the idea, "Have you ever been to earth on your trade route?"

Ackbar's eyes red eyes flared for a moment, "Yes." he answered reluctantly.

She spoke urgently in English; "Can you understand me?"

Ackbar's eyes widened, but he answered her in the same language, "Yes."

"Vegeta forced me to join with him. I'm begging you to take me away from--"

Vegeta's hand came down on hers, not enough to hurt her, but enough to shut her up, "That's enough of that! You will speak so that I can understand you now." he demanded in the SL.

"Why? I was just asking Ackbar about earth." she replied, innocently.

"For some reason, I don't trust you woman." he answered lazily.

Bulma pulled her hand away angrily and turned away from Ackbar, ignoring the growing smirk on her mate's face.

Ackbar watched the two somewhat uneasily. He had a good idea of what was going on here. There was some Saiyan myth about making the ultimate fighter by mixing their breed with that of a human being. He wasn't too surprised to find out that Bulma had been forced to join with Vegeta; not many outside of the Saiyan race found this idea appealing, (considering the famous bouts of temper the king was rumored to posses). Unfortunately, most of the Saiyans on the planet had spent years building their bodies and raising their power levels, and completely forgot about their minds. Vegeta was the smartest and strongest Saiyan on the planet, no doubt about it, yet this female clearly made up for what she lacked in strength with personality and brains. _They were indeed a perfect match and would produce the ideal heir._

King Ackbar knew Bulma was using him to get to Vegeta. He didn't mind. As a matter of fact, he rather enjoyed Vegeta being in the hot seat. It made him less formidable and made him appear more like a person, rather than a vicious animal. Also, he knew he didn't have a chance with the beautiful Queen. She was quite exotic by the Surmfs' standards, even to the Saiyans. He was sure she was the kind of woman who only liked particular things, and who would remain in her race; not daring to mix her bloodline with an 'alien'.

The rest of the dinner went by in relative silence. Vegeta wasn't much for small talk, Bulma was angry at Vegeta for thwarting her attempt at escape, and Ackbar was nervous as to what Vegeta may do to him, for being so friendly with his mate. Bulma didn't speak or eat but played with her food, much to Vegeta's increasing annoyance.

She stood up just before Vegeta finished so she'd be the first to their room, "Excuse me gentlemen, but I am extremely tired. I'm going to retire." She smiled and said farewell to Ackbar just in case she didn't see him before he left on the morrow.

Bulma rushed to Vegeta's room, her mind in a whirl. I was so close to getting off of this planet. Damn Vegeta's bad timing. "Open." She walked quickly into the bedroom, "Lights on." She yanked her boots off and tossed them in the general direction of her wardrobe as she heard the door, and yanked her zippers down. _Darn it. I'm too late. Remember Bulma, it is no big deal to him so it shouldn't bother you._ She opened the doors to her wardrobe and hesitated briefly as she sensed Vegeta come into the room. She sensed no further movement from him and continued to ransack the wardrobe. She gave up, turning from the wardrobe to raid the chest of drawers once more, and gasped as she 

saw that Vegeta was standing in the doorway leading to the main room, watching her.

"And just what were you trying to pull back there, woman?"

"I wasn't trying to pull anything. Haven't you ever heard of being polite to guests?" She said defensively, her heart pounding faster as she imagined what Vegeta would do if he knew what she had really been saying to Ackbar.

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest; "You weren't being polite. You were throwing yourself at him to spite me, weren't you?"

Bulma forced a laugh, "Don't be ridiculous, Vegeta. While you may be hideously ugly, your presence is somewhat tolerable if taken a little at a time. Why would I try to 'spite' you?" _Lying on both counts Bulma. Vegeta isn't ugly and he isn't tolerable either. _

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the insult, "Ugly? Is that the best lie you can come up with, woman?"

"It's the truth. I can hardly stand to look at you without feeling sorry for your poor parents." Bulma held her breath at this; _I might have gone too far_. She glanced over at Vegeta who was still watching her with one eyebrow raised. 

He disappeared and reappeared in front of her. The Earth woman gasped, and took a step away from him. Before she could take another, Vegeta grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him.

His dark eyes looked into her startled blue ones, "Trust me. The feeling is definitely mutual." He practically purred in her ear. Bulma jerked away from him in surprise.

"Stay away from me." She said, panic creeping into her voice.

"Why? Do I scare you?" He smirked; looking pleased at the possibility.

"No! I just can't stand you being around me." She shuddered.

Vegeta shrugged, "Get over it. As long as we share the same quarters, there are going to be times where I have to get close to you, and I'll hate it as much as you, if not more so." he said mockingly. "Besides, you can't leave here without having my son first, remember?"

"I remember." Bulma snapped angrily.

Vegeta smirked at her, "So the sooner the deed is done, the sooner you can leave."

Bulma felt as though she was going to be ill as what the young ruler was insinuating sunk in, "I know. Just...just give me time to get used to the idea. I'll let you know when I'm-I'm ready."

The King shrugged his shoulders uncaringly and proceeded to undress. Bulma turned away from him, and continued looking for a nightgown. In exasperation she turned to Vegeta, who was taking his armor off, "Do you know where my nightgowns could be?"

Vegeta pulled his boots off before answering, "On the second night after joining and every night after that, you aren't expected to ever wear clothes to bed again. It'd be a waste of time."

Bulma caught the meaning behind that and blushed, "Oh." She pulled the pins holding her hair up and let it cascade down her back a minute before brushing the blue strands and tying them into a low ponytail. She crawled under the covers of the bed and got into her corner. A few minutes later Vegeta got in, "Lights out." Bulma called, turning her back to the King.

She nearly screamed as she felt his arm drape over her, "What are you doing? I told you that I'd let you know when I'm ready!" She panicked.

Vegeta gently pulled her toward him for his own selfish reasons; "I'm not doing anything, so would you stop your damn screaming, woman? It'll be easier for you if you don't have to go into the whole thing at once." He said gruffly.

Bulma lowered her voice, "What if you roll over in your sleep? You're going to suffocate me! You're much heavier than I am." _And since when do you care about making things easier for me, you lying ass wipe._

He decided to ignore her protests and do nothing. He soon fell to sleep, snoring lightly.

Bulma sighed in defeat. _This is not good Bulma. You're trapped in a bed, with the man you utterly despise, in your underwear, in a very compromising position. Things can't get much worse than this._

**********

She was wrong. She woke up the next morning with her arms wrapped tightly around his chest and her head resting on his stomach. _Praise Kami, he's still sleeping._ She thought, scrambling out of the bed. _If he was awake, I'd never hear the end of it._

She showered and changed and walked into the kitchen expecting to see Chichi making breakfast. She was wrong again. She walked out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom, expecting to see Vegeta getting dressed. She was wrong for the third time. He was still in the bed, lightly snoring. Bulma laughed down at him. _Ah, the king of Saiyan, snoring and looking positively adorable in his sleep. Too bad I hate his guts._ She moved closer to the bed and stopped, trying to decide if she should wake him up or not. 

Before she could decide, he spoke with eyes still closed, "What do you want woman? Why are you staring at me?"

Bulma frowned at him, "It's time for you to get up, _Excellency_." She said the last word with a great deal of sarcasm.

"As you wish, _Your Grace_." He sneered, copying her tone, sitting up and putting his feet over the side of the bed.

Bulma shot him a dirty look before turning and going to the kitchen to eat breakfast, "I'm not waiting for you to finish getting ready, Vegeta. I'm eating my breakfast now." She called as she sat down. 

Vegeta walked into the kitchen, still in his boxers and sat down across from her, "I can't let my breakfast get cold now can I?" He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Bulma scowled angrily at him, but ate her breakfast silently, refusing to spare him a glance. The serving wench blushed as she realized the King was in a state of undress and scurried from the room after giving them their food.

Bulma ate another bite of the cheese and meat omelet before leaving the table. She sighed and sat in the main room. _This really sucks. Maybe I should do as Vegeta said, and hurry up and get the dumb mating thing over with. No! I can't, but what if I do, and he does that bonding thing Brocco was talking about? Then I'd be emotionally attached to that a-hole forever._ She sighed again and crossed her feet at the ankles as she unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest. _Ackbar was really my only hope of escape._ She glared down at the beautiful blue and gold rug, "That asshole has totally ruined it all for me." She muttered, not even aware that she said the words aloud.

"Let me guess. I'm the 'asshole' who ruined everything for you?" Vegeta asked, coming into the main room from the bedroom, where he had been dressing.

Keeping her eyes on the rug, Bulma snapped back an answer, "Do you know any other assholes that have impacted my life as negatively as you have? My parents are dead because of you, as well as my best friend and his whole family. Not to mention all of my other friends." _And Yamcha, I lost Yamcha because of you, you bastard._

Vegeta seemed to hesitate; "You're wrong woman. I specifically told Nappa not to kill anyone, but to only take the slaves and leave."

"Well maybe everyone doesn't fear you as much as you like, because all those people were killed before my very eyes! I could never forgive you for that." She said angrily.

Seething, Vegeta didn't really hear her. Nappa is going to pay. No one disobeys one of my orders and lives! He strode angrily to the VAP machine and called Brocco, "First Commander Brocco. I need you to arrest Nappa immediately." (Author's note: no that wasn't a typo. By calling Brocco 'First Commander', he's letting her know that Nappa is history, and she's promoted). 

"As you wish sire." Brocco replied bowing low before the screen, before signing off.

Bulma watched Vegeta from beneath her lashes, curious to see what he looked like when he was really mad. Surprisingly, Bulma could see no apparent outward change in Vegeta, he didn't turn red or scream, but a small vein stuck out on his forehead, he clenched a fist in anger, and he looked a little like the air had been knocked from him.

_I can't believe he's going to have his only friend arrested. This guy is totally cold-hearted. But I guess I can see his dilemma. Sort of._

"I'm going out." Bulma stated.

"Who's going to take you? Brocco's busy."

The human female glared up at him from her seat on the couch, "Why do you care where I go? Don't you have some kingly crap to do or something?"

"You're mistaken; I DON'T care where you go. But if something happens to you then guess who looks bad?" He said angrily, ignoring her second comment.

"I **hate **you." she hissed at him, her fists clenched so tightly, her nails broke skin.

"I know." Vegeta said, in an exasperated manner "You've told me only about every four seconds."

Bulma ignored the softening in his voice, "I better decrease those increments and make it every two seconds."

"As you wish. You're only wasting your breath." Vegeta shrugged, going into the bathroom.

As she hastily rose from the couch, Bulma could hardly believe her good fortune. Vegeta must have forgotten that I wanted to go out. She contemplated leaving, but finally decided against it.

_I don't want to have to listen to his bitching later on. It isn't worth the effort._

The Queen of Vegetaseii tapped her royal foot impatiently as she waited for Vegeta to get out of the shower. He finally emerged in a burst of steam with a towel draped over his shoulders. His normally expressionless eyes showed his surprise for a second before it disappeared just as quickly as it came, as he noted his mate waiting for him. He raised an eyebrow in question as he passed by her on his way to the chest of drawers.

"Vegeta, I'm bored. I need something to do."

"I can think of something--"

"Nothing to do with mating." She interrupted, anticipating where his thoughts would be.

Vegeta frowned, "Don't put words in my mouth, woman. I was saying that you should train. You could be much stronger than you are."

"No thanks." Bulma said, a little embarrassed at her wrong assumption.

"Listen woman, I'm not your activity coordinator. You think of something to do, I don't care what, as long as you keep in mind what I said." He replied, pulling a pair of black pants on.

"Well, then what are you going to do all day?" She asked in exasperation.

"I have the day off." He said simply pulling a black shirt on over his head. "I'm going nowhere."

(AN: It's Vegetaseii's special holiday in honor of all Royalty)

"I guess I could stay here and keep you company if you want." Bulma suggested, hopefully.

Vegeta frowned, "Your 'company' won't be needed or appreciated." He sat down in the main room and began to meditate. 

Bulma watched him for a while, then quickly grew bored. How someone could sit there for hours doing nothing was beyond her. She lay back in the couch in defeat. _All dressed up and with nowhere to go._ Bulma thought, laughing at herself. _Stuck here in a castle with a grade 'A' asshole that prefers himself over me as company. For some reason, I'd like to see Yamcha again. Even if it is only for a little while._ She sat up as an even better idea set in; _I'll go see how Chichi is. I'm sure Vegeta won't mind._ She tiptoed past the Saiyan and left the room.

*************

**_"What do you mean she's dead?"_** She screeched.

"Your Highness, please understand. We have hundreds of slaves living here. We certainly didn't know this particular one was one of yours." The guard at the female slaves' quarters whined; wincing as Bulma hit a high note on 'mean'.

"I want you to take good care of an American red-head by the name of Rachel Green. She is another one of mine." Bulma said angrily.

"As you wish, mistress."

"See to it that you overdo the care for her, or I will have the King all over your good-for-nothing ass. Do you understand me, you no good whoreson?"

The guard nodded fearfully terrified at the Queen's fury, pointed completely at him.

Bulma left in a huff. _How could they be so stupid?_ The guards in the complex hadn't noticed the signs, or maybe they did notice and just hadn't cared. Chichi had taken her own life. Bulma wasn't as angry as she would have been two weeks ago. Chichi had been anything but her normal self previous to the time of her demise, and as far as Bulma was concerned, her friend had died with the rest of her friends on earth. 

************

Okay, in the **next chapter**: Brocco looked uneasily from Bulma to Ackbar and then to Vegeta, who looked as though he wanted to kill his mate right on the spot. _What does Bulma think she's doing? She's going to get herself killed if she doesn't stop that._

"You'd be wise to remember who she belongs to, Ackbar." Vegeta said quietly, an unveiled threat in his words.

********

Sounds like trouble to me! Until the next chapter, much love to you all! =)

Claire; Bulma16


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Many thanks to those who emailed comments and reviewed! I really appreciate it. 

MiNd GaMeS: Chapter Six

By: Bulma16 

_Damn that female and her emotions._ Vegeta tried to shake his mate's feelings off, but to no avail. He tried to ignore both the anger and sadness he felt coming upon him. _What the hell is she sad about_? He thought, automatically assuming the anger was directed toward him. He shifted his position and went back to his meditating_, I was much better off with out her and her damned emotions; all they will do is get in the way of my goal_. What this goal was, Vegeta wasn't too sure of anymore. After killing Freeza, the death of his father, turning SSJ, ridding Vegetaseii of traitors, ending purging missions, and becoming the most powerful being in the universe; there wasn't much left for him to desire. Vegeta frowned slightly at that, _Except for that distracting Earth female._

*********

_Good. He's still sleeping, or meditating or whatever_. Bulma thought as she crept into the room. She pushed the button and summoned a slave to come make lunch for Vegeta, and sighed wearily. She tensed suddenly as she felt frustration and anger come upon her. _Oh gosh, those must be Vegeta's feelings_. She tried to shake the feeling off; it was way too foreign to speculate over. Without realizing it, she glared at the Saiyan who was the cause of all this. _I loathe him. I can't believe I can even stand being in the same room as him_.

Bored, she glanced at her watch; it was 1400 hours. _Maybe I should go see if Ackbar has left or not_. She glanced at Vegeta, who was still in his meditating position, and didn't seem to even know she was there. She picked up the VAP and called Brocco, the new First Commander.

"First Commander Brocco."

"Your Grace." Brocco replied.

"Are you busy?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes." Brocco sighed chewing on a pen nervously. "I have some paperwork to fill out concerning the treaty with the Surmfs, and I have to see them off, and whatever else the King needs me to do."

Bulma frowned, "That's quite a bit of work."

Brocco was trying desperately not to pull her shoulder-length black hair out, "I know."

"I could help with the paper work. And in return, YOU can take me to see them off." she suggested, hopefully.

Brocco stared at The Queen's face on the screen, "I-I, I don't think that kind of thing is something you really want to do."

"And why not?" the human asked, angrily.

"It's a great idea, but I'd be getting the most out of all this. You'll be doing my dirty work, and it's long and tedious. I'm not sure how Nappa did it all in a day."

"Trust me Brocco. I want to do it, the longer and more tedious, the better. I have absolutely nothing to do and the King is slee- I mean meditating."

Brocco nodded understandingly, "He's preparing himself for tomorrow."

Bulma frowned, "What is happening tomorrow?"

"It's not my place to discuss the King's affairs." She answered uneasily. "I'll just send you the documents now. I thank you for your assistance, Your Highness." She hung up.

The Queen scowled at the blank screen_. Both Brocco and Vegeta are keeping something from me. But what could it be? _She left that part of the main room, and later opened the door to let two slaves in; one from Brocco, and one to make lunch. Both bowed and their Queen impatiently told them to rise. She took the folders from Brocco's slave and dismissed him, letting the cooking/serving wench in. 

Her face lit up as she noticed how many papers there were in each folder; about a hundred in each of the four folders. There was a note from the commander on one of them. She pulled it off and read it.

I wasn't joking when I said a lot, and that's not even half of it. I appreciate the help, but if you can't finish it all, I'll understand. Just send them back and I'll try to finish the rest.

            ~Brocco 

_Have a little faith Brocco_, she thought, a little miffed as she crumpled the note. She found a couple of pens lying around and got to work. It was really simple stuff, all she had to do was fill in how much of each type of product the Saiyans were willing to trade for, and how much would come to them if they rendered aid to the Surmfs. She had filled out supply forms many times on Earth for her father at Capsule Corp. Of course, she had to multiply all the supplies a normal person would need by about 50 to equal how much each Saiyan could eat.

About an hour later, the serving wench crept into the room and told her lunch was ready before she scurried away.

Bulma got up from the table and stretched deciding it would be nice to stand up for a minute. _Only 3/4 more to go Bulma. Come on you can do it. Even though she didn't say so, Brocco is counting on you._ With that in mind, the female ruler of Vegetaseii got back to work, earnestly. Forgetting about her hatred for the King and her lunch in her concentration.

*******

The King's eyes snapped open as he felt his stomach rumbling. He got up carefully from the floor and started towards the command panel so that he could order lunch but before he could, a serving wench scuttled past him and out the door. He walked into the kitchen only to find his mate doing some kind of paperwork. He frowned in confusion. _Why the hell is she doing paperwork?_

He sat down at the table across from her and watched her. She didn't acknowledge him, but the slight stiffening of her shoulders indicated that she sensed his presence. He ate his lunch in silence, but he was still curious to know what she was doing. Tension stretched during the time they were together and threatened to snap, like a rubber band. Vegeta finished his lunch and left as quietly as he came, deciding not to ask her what she was doing. He did tell her he didn't care after all, and he really didn't.

*********

Bulma let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding ever since Vegeta had arrived_. I can't believe monkey boy didn't ask me what I was doing. I guess he was serious when he said he doesn't care what I do._ She shrugged and went back to the paperwork. _Only 1/3 to go_.

*********

"I can't thank you enough Bul--I mean, my Queen. I am grateful to you for your help." Brocco proclaimed as she quickly walked Bulma to the shipping port. She opened the door leading out to the ships and held it for her.

The earth female put up both hands in a halt gesture, "Whoa, time out, Brocco. I'm a human, remember? And humans can't breathe in outer space."

Brocco smirked, "You're not all human anymore. Your blood is properly mixed with the King's now so you can breathe in outer space from now on."

Bulma frowned at the thought of her blood mixing with the King's and as she stepped through the doors asked, "And if I gain this little trait from Saiyan blood, what will Vegeta get from mine in return?"

Brocco sobered immediately, "Emotions and the ability to care."

The Queen of Vegetaseii remained silent as she followed Brocco to the Surmfs' blue ship. She tensed as she sensed Vegeta, and as she moved closer to the ship, she saw him speaking with Ackbar, but he gave no notice of sensing her presence as well.

Brocco walked faster towards the two rulers, "Excellency," she said bowing in front of the formidable looking Saiyan, "I have finished the papers concerning the treaty as you desired...with the help of Queen Bulma."

Vegeta's eyes flickered from Brocco, to Bulma, and then back to Brocco, "I commend you Commander. The old First Commander never finished the work within a day; you did know that you still had 14 more days to finish it all, didn't you?"

Brocco flushed in embarrassment but stayed silent, kneeling until the female ruler of Vegetaseii ordered her to rise, a challenge in her eyes as she looked to the King. Vegeta's eyes declared a similar challenge as he looked to his mate. Brocco rose uneasily, unsure as to whom she should have obeyed.

Ackbar cleared his throat as he waited for the other two rulers to stop glaring at each other. Both turned to him instantly. "I'm pleased that you have decided to bestow your glorious presence upon me once again before I leave, Your Grace."

Bulma smiled at him graciously, "The pleasure, again, is most undoubtedly mine, King Ackbar."

Brocco looked uneasily from Bulma to Ackbar and then to Vegeta, who looked as though he wanted to kill his mate right on the spot. _What does Bulma think she's doing? She's going to get herself killed if she doesn't stop that._

"You'd be wise to remember who she belongs to, Ackbar." Vegeta said quietly, an unveiled threat in his words.

The Surmfs' ruler flinched at the deadliness in Vegeta's tone, "But of course, Vegeta. I must confess I'm jealous; you must certainly possess the most beautiful female in the universe. You are indeed the luckiest being in the galaxy."

No one really heard him, except for Brocco. Bulma was glaring at Vegeta for his previous comment, while Vegeta was glaring back at her. Both too absorbed in hating the other to notice Ackbar's compliment (which would have angered Vegeta even further).

"Ahem. I think I'll be leaving now. It was great doing business with you Vegeta. I wish you well Queen Bulma" Ackbar said loudly as he stood on the ramp leading up to his ship.

Vegeta tore his gaze from that of his mate and nodded at Ackbar, silently. The blue figure walked into the ship and about five minutes later took off. Bulma felt herself blowing away from the blastoff winds made by the ship. An arm caught her as her feet began to fly from under her. She felt embarrassed; every single one of the other Saiyans in the port stayed in place, and didn't even seem to notice the strong winds. As the winds gradually grew weaker and disappeared, she turned to gaze into her rescuer's cold black eyes.

"Thank you." She said simply, trying to pull her arm away from him. His grip tightened and he tucked her arm under his, his eyes telling her that she couldn't get away that easily.

Anyone casually looking at the two at that moment would have assumed the King was feeling affectionate toward his mate and that he wanted her closer to him. They would have been wrong. They would also assume that the look the Queen gave him was filled with love and gratitude, but they'd be wrong again. As the King 'graciously escorted' his mate to their quarters, she kept her eyes to the ground, angry at not being in control, while Vegeta kept something between a scowl and a smirk on his face.

"Open, lights on." He barked as he stormed into their quarters. He released her arm and crossed his over his chest. "I think you have some explaining to do woman."

Bulma raised an elegant eyebrow in mock surprise, "Do I really? Why is it I'm always the one who has to explain things while you can do whatever the hell you want with no regard for others?"

"I'll tell you why; because I'm the one in charge here and if I decided, I could kill you in a second." Vegeta said his eyes ablaze in anger.

"Then go ahead and kill me, you triple-damned, cold-hearted, murdering bastard!" The Earth woman shouted, closing her eyes and hoping he would do so.

Vegeta didn't hesitate for a second; he quickly formed a ki blast in his hand and held it so close to the blue-haired, blue-eyed woman that she could feel the heat radiating off of it. She stayed where she was though, and opened her eyes, looking the furious King in his face and smiled triumphantly. Vegeta kept his hand where it was, but the energy slowly disappeared.

"As much satisfaction as it would give me, and as large a favor I would be doing for the entire world; you are much more valuable to me alive rather than dead." He said coldly, a smirk slowly beginning to take over his features. "At least, until the brat is born." He left Bulma alone in the main room.

She glared after him, too furious and hurt to speak; _that bastard! I have never hated anyone as much as I hate him_. She stood behind the couch in the main room, fighting to keep herself from crying. _I gotta see Yamcha. Even if it's the last thing I do. I've got to tell him how I REALLY feel about Vegeta_. She held her breath as she heard the shower come on in the bathroom. Bulma fixed her appearance quickly in the vanity mirror and ran out of Vegeta's quarters without a backwards glance.

*************

"And that's why I had to come see you Yamcha, and ask--no beg, you to forgive me."

Yamcha reached through the bars and hugged her frail and trembling body to him, rubbing her back and arms soothingly, "I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier Bulma. It's just that...you looked so happy and I've been through so much crap that I guess I was kind of bitter and jealous." He kissed his distressed ex-girlfriend on her forehead, wondering what really caused Bulma to apologize.

The Queen held tightly unto Yamcha, her eyes watering "Thank you Yamcha. You don't know how much your words mean to me." She kissed him slowly and gently on his lips, before pulling away from him. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again Yamcha, but I want to tell you that I despise Vegeta and I love you. If I can, I'll arrange for your release." She blew him a kiss and left sadly, ignoring the puzzled expressions of the guards, who had seen the whole thing.

"It's time to face the music Bulma." She muttered to herself as she walked back to Vegeta's quarters.

**********

*-* Hee, heh, another cliffhanger for you guys. I know how much you LOVE them. So, how was this chapter? What the heck was up with Bulma and Yamcha? What will Vegeta's reaction be? Find out in chapter seven! Please review me! I want your comments/suggestions.

Until next time,

Bulma16 (Claire-Chan)

P.S.: e-mail at clairesse0123@yahoo.com.

HERE'S PART OF SEVEN: He snarled at her; "I can't believe I actually fell for your chaste little virgin act, while you're running around mating with every male that catches your eye."

"What! What the hell are you saying, Vegeta?" She screamed.

******


	7. Chapter Seven

**MiNd GaMes: Chapter Seven**

            He was still in the bathroom when she arrived._ Damn. I was hoping he would drown in there_. She sat at the kitchen table and stared down at the shiny brown surface. Her eyes widened in surprise as a tear fell onto it. She wiped her tears away hastily as she heard the King rummaging in the wardrobe in the next room. _Don't show any fear, Bulma_.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to go in the next room. He didn't look up, but Bulma knew he sensed her presence. "I went to the male slaves' quarters again." She blurted.

Vegeta straightened and looked at her intensely, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to know that I fear you no longer. You're not the only one with a lot of pride Vegeta, and what you said to Ackbar hurt me. I belong to no one."

The King moved closer to her his eyes shining coldly, "That's an unwise decision, woman. You should fear me above all else, because I'm a 'cold-hearted murdering bastard.'" 

The female ruler of Vegetaseii flinched as her insult was thrown in her face, "I'm--" She stopped as she noticed a change in Vegeta's expression, "What is it?"

"You've been with some baka human."

"Yes. That's what I just said." She said, confused.

He snarled at her; "I can't believe I actually fell for your chaste little virgin act while you're running around mating with every male that catches your eye."

"What! What the hell are you saying, Vegeta?" She screamed, her heart palpitating furiously.

He grabbed her by her wrist, "I'm saying, you lying **whore**, that I can smell that double damned bastard all over you!" His eyes burned into hers and his voice dripped venom, "And as your mate, I will no longer be denied what is rightfully mine." He angrily yanked her toward him, and kissed her with the same cruelness his words indicated.

Bulma pulled away sobbing, "No, Vegeta! You're just angry. I know you don't mean what you're saying; you can't!"

"That's where you're wrong onna. I've never been more certain of anything in my life." He said, pulling her to him again. He was much gentler than last time and for some reason, Bulma found herself letting most of her defenses down. She leaned against him and kissed him back with reckless abandon, all thoughts of the fear she had earlier out the window as they tugged on each other's clothing. As if they were halves of the same being, they slid to the floor as one.

            {INSERT LONG AND JUICY PARAGRAPHS OF THE BEST LEMON EVER WRITTEN TIMES A THOUSAND SINCE I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE 'ALLOWED' TO WRITE LEMONS ANYMORE. IF YOU WANT THE LEMONY PARTS, EMAIL ME}

*side note* Afterwards, somehow Vegeta still didn't know Bulma's secret. Their mating was not forced, yet Bulma would not allow herself to respond fully. She felt that while Vegeta owned her body, Yamcha owned her heart and her love. Both had some regrets afterward

***********

Bulma woke up early the next morning, and immediately wished she hadn't. _I've betrayed Yamcha, the one I love with a man I hate._ She groaned and put her head under the covers. She didn't regret the sex, but the circumstances under which she had it were a bitch. She couldn't help but respond at least partially to Vegeta; he was good at **everything** he did. She HAD been a virgin, so she lost her virginity to him. For some reason, Vegeta didn't seem to notice this (he has never been with an inexperienced woman before). He hadn't said much to her; or she to him, (except for, "Are you ready for me all over again?" {Cocky Vegeta} "Yes, but do it right this time, damn you!"{Angry Bulma}) But the whole time they kept their eyes on each other, silently conveying their mutual need for this act. No promises or declarations of everlasting and unbreakable love were made. They lived for the wild moment, and nothing else mattered at that point. While she hated him as a person, the female ruler of Vegetaseii could not deny being attracted to him physically.

She threw the covers off the bed and rose to see that Vegeta was gone;_ No surprise there. He's probably eating breakfast with out me._ She inhaled the smell of the breakfast meat the serving wench was cooking. She grabbed one of the dresses out of the wardrobe, some underwear, and then ran to the bathroom to get changed. 

After she was done, she strolled into the kitchen, but Vegeta wasn't there. She shrugged and sat down to eat. When she was a little more than halfway finished, the serving wench nervously walked up to her with a piece of paper in her hand, "A note from the King, Your Highness."

Bulma took the note from the frightened girl, who ran to the bedroom to finish her chores (the slaves working for Vegeta are supposed to be fearless, but this one is an exception). Bulma unfolded it halfway and read:

Important mission to Solmivia. Will be gone 2-4 months. If you need anything, let new Second Commander know. Will contact later.

"Does he have to be so distant in his notes?" She asked herself out loud. _And just what the hell am I supposed to do in 4 months?_ She opened the note fully and laughed at what she read next:

Glad you could handle it. ~King Vegeta IX

*********

The new Second Commander was a total pushover, and The Queen could get him to let her do anything. He was smart, but he didn't like making his mind up, so Bulma decided it was her duty to do it for him. 

While Vegeta was away she was expected to act as both judge and jury; deciding the fates of those convicted of a crime. This was to her, the dullest part of being royalty. Few were put to death, but those who were, Bulma made sure they had received a fair trial. There weren't that many cases any way; expectations for Saiyans were high and the majority strove to be the model Saiyan.

She freed Yamcha...sort of. She signed him to do easy work under Brocco, whom she knew would be a lot easier on her slaves than many others out there. She had wanted to assign him to her room, but for some reason, the computer seemed to be programmed to shut down completely and not allow her to issue herself a slave from the male slaves' quarters. Even with her superior intellect, she couldn't get into there without the King's authorization. She also checked on Rachel, who was one of the higher slaves. She swore that she was perfectly fine and told Bulma that she'd keep her company if she liked. Bulma agreed.

The best and worst thing was that she was pregnant. But she wasn't sure if or how to tell Vegeta. She was the only one who knew for now; the tiny child's ki force was blocked by her own, but what she feared the most was Vegeta finding out before she told him. 

*******

_Into the second month..._

The VAP lit up, showing that she had a call; she pushed the button. "Brocco! How are you?"

The tired First Commander smiled wearily, "Well, I've been better, I assure you. How's everything?"

"Really quiet. There aren't as many people left here, but I'm fine."

"What have you been doing in your free time?"

"Making clothes from scratch." she replied honestly, only she didn't tell Brocco that the clothes were for her baby. "How's Vegeta?"

"Hold on a second." Brocco moved off the screen and muffled voices could be heard. 

Finally, Vegeta appeared, looking three times as exhausted as Brocco, "What do you want woman?"

The Queen ignored his words, "How are you doing Vegeta?"

"I'm perfectly fine as you can see." He snapped.

Bulma smiled, "I see you're your usual happy-go-lucky self. What a ray of sunshine you must be to those poor Saiyans trapped with you for the next two months!"

Surprisingly, Vegeta smiled faintly at the statement before he changed the subject; "You appear to be well."

"I am. I don't want for anything."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at this but didn't comment, "Move closer to the screen." He ordered.

"Why?" Bulma asked suspiciously.

Vegeta sighed, his impatience evident, "Just do as I say for once, woman."

The Queen shrugged and moved in so that only her upper body was visible. He too moved in closer and their eyes met through the screens. Vegeta's eyes moved slowly over her face and to the few aqua tresses that escaped her low ponytail. He seemed to be trying to memorize every detail of her face, and Bulma decided to do the same. His onyx eyes were tired and she could see dark circles starting to form underneath them. His mouth was set in a thin line of determination and the black flame-shaped hair that she admired so much seemed to be missing some of its luster. His clothes were beginning to fall apart from battle, and blood could be seen on Vegeta's chest and splattered in various places on his uniform. Her blue eyes narrowed in concern, "Vegeta. You need to rest. You look terrible."

Vegeta ended his inspection and moved back from the screen again, shaking his head, "Good bye woman." And with that he ended the connection.

Bulma frowned. _Same old Vegeta_. "That man just doesn't listen to reason." She told herself, shaking her head. Yet something about him made her want to cry; he seemed so sad and lonely.

She shook that impression off, _Sad and lonely? Vegeta? Yeah right Bulma_.

*************

End of Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter Nine

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who emailed me, and to those of you who were kind enough to leave a review. I'm thinking of doing review responses again, just because they're so much fun, but not this time.

Note: This was originally supposed to be chapter nine because I had chapter eight as a notice of some kind, so our chapters are gonna be a little off. Prepare for a little bit of confusion, LOL.

**Mind Games: Chapter Nine**

********

(Somewhere late in the third month...)

"You're pregnant, aren't you Bulma?"

Bulma dropped the glass she'd been holding and it shattered at her feet into a hundred uneven pieces. "What--what did you say?"

Rachel put her hands on her hips. "Don't you give me that innocent act Bulma Briefs. I invented that!"

Bulma held up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, you got me." She quickly became serious, "But do you swear on your life you won't tell anybody, especially Vegeta?"

"Of course. But why the secrecy?"

Bulma flushed angrily. "Because Vegeta will assume it's Yamcha's!"

Rachel nodded reluctantly as she recalled what Bulma had told her earlier. "You won't be able to hide the fact for long. I'd say you have two months before it starts REALLY showing."

Bulma grimaced. "I know, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

*************

(Less than a week later...)

"Bulma, the ship is back," Rachel said excitedly when her friend opened the door to her frantic knocking. 

Queen Bulma paled visibly. "I-I guess I better get dressed to meet Vegeta then."

*******

Rachel was the only slave among the 100 Saiyans, but no one noticed her presence as they focused their attention on the ship as it opened. The First Commander came down first and everyone cheered but then silenced as she held up a hand. 

"The skirmish against the Solmivians was long and hard. The atmosphere contained highly flammable gases, so we were unable to use any ki beams." She paused for a moment as the audience gasped in surprise. She scanned the crowd until she found Bulma and spoke directly to her as she continued. "The Solmivians had millions of fighters; we could not blow up the planet from a distance for fear of an explosion that would wipe us out. We fought them in hand-to-hand battle. Many of us died. Most were just close to it." She stopped again, "Among those was our King, who never slept but fought every second, killing at least a million on his own. For this reason, I ask you not to celebrate our victory, in honor of King Vegeta's fighting spirit," she finished.

Bulma moved easily through the crowd, her head swimming. "And where is he now?" she asked Brocco quietly.

Brocco looked away from the Queen's accusing eyes. "I'm sorry, Your Grace. But he's--"

That was all Bulma heard before the world turned black.

***********

She woke up in her bed with a worried Rachel, and a sheepish First Commander standing near her.

"Are you all right Bulma?" Rachel asked her anxiously.

Bulma sat up. "Yes. It was just a fainting spell."

Brocco looked at the two of them confusedly. "What are you guys speaking?"

"English. It's all Rachel speaks," Bulma answered in the SL.

"Well, what I was going to tell you, Bulma, was that the King is in the regeneration tank."

"I could care less where the King is. Too bad he isn't dead," Bulma said getting out of the bed. 

Her two friends followed her to the main room; "You can't mean that Bulma," Brocco protested.

The Queen raised both eyebrows at this statement,. "Let me assure you Brocco that I do. I fainted because I haven't eaten today."

"Why is that?"

"I've been making myself a new dress," Bulma said, only half-lying; she didn't faint because she hadn't eaten, but she had been making a dress.

Brocco shrugged, not willing to drag this argument out any further. "The King should be able to come here in about an hour. He's been in the tank for the last two hours. I have to go. I'll see you later Bulma, and don't skip meals; it's not good for you."

The Earth female waited until the door closed behind Brocco before speaking. "Rachel, you're going to have to go back to the slaves' quarters. But could you help me hide these baby clothes first?"

"Sure. We'll put them in this bottom drawer under all this stuff in the chest of drawers, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Here's some extra food if you want it. If not, give it to someone who needs it."

Rachel nodded, smiling as she took the bundle. "Whenever you need me, call and let me know when the baby is born if I don't see you for a while." She waved to Bulma before leaving. 

The exhausted Queen checked her appearance in the mirror. She looked only slightly piqued, her hair was down and it framed her face. She was wearing what she had worn the day of Ackbar's arrival,_ This will probably be the last time I'm able to fit into this tight thing,  she_ thought ruefully. Bulma pinched her pale cheeks to give them some color, and sat down to wait.

******

Vegeta could feel his anger begin to rise as the team of doctors continued to prod him. He pushed past them impatiently a grimace on his face. The proud ruler pulled on a pair of pants and left, slamming the door to the lab, and ignoring the protests of the doctors. As he walked down the main hallway, he noted the way the Saiyans he passed looked at him; with a new kind of respect, _Blast that loudmouth Brocco. She's probably already told everyone._ He wasn't angry with her, just annoyed. He didn't want everyone to know about his weakened state for fear they would have ridiculed him, but that was obviously not the case. Vegeta turned and entered the private hallway, pausing as he tried to determine if his mate would be waiting for him, and how she would greet him. He couldn't sense her for some reason, but he was pretty sure she was there. _There's only one way to find out whether or not she's still around for certain. _

"Open."

************

The Earth female didn't sense him before she saw him for some reason. She stood up and smiled cordially at him. "Hello Vegeta."

He smirked in reply, and surveyed her appearance as he stood in the doorway. "Glad to see me?"

"Hardly."

"Why did you faint earlier?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

The smile left Bulma's face and she swayed slightly on her feet "Who--who told you that?"

Vegeta frowned slightly at her aversion to the question. "The baka doctors in the medical ward. Now answer the question, woman," he growled, stepping into the room, the door shutting automatically behind him with a whir.

"I was weak from not eating. Really, I'm all right Vegeta. Brocco came here asking the same question," she lied, keeping a straight face.

He decided to take her word for it. He walked into the bedroom and started digging through his chest of drawers; Bulma gulped nervously and watched him.

"Uh, Vegeta, I made a new dress. Would you like to see it?" With out waiting for a reply, Bulma rushed to the wardrobe and pulled the loose red dress out and displayed it to him. "What do you think?"

Vegeta glanced briefly at the dress before looking into her expectant face. "Nice, but it's not really my color," he said, smirking as Bulma blushed.

"I made it for me."

"Selfish, aren't you?"

Bulma smiled as she hung the dress back up in the wardrobe, "And proud of it," She joked relaxing slightly. 

Vegeta went back to his rummaging, opening the bottom drawer. Her heart stopped for a good ten seconds before it started again at an alarming rate. Vegeta stopped his searching and slowly stood up with a little pair of yellow-footed pajamas in one hand, "What's this Bulma?" he asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Looks like pajamas to me." She said softly, her eyes not meeting his.

"Pajamas. A little small for you, don't you think?" he sneered.

Bulma flinched. "I was just preparing."

"For what?"

"The child that I'm supposed to bear you."

Vegeta tossed the pajamas back in the drawer. "Are you pregnant Bulma?" he asked her calmly, a muscle in his throat jumping.

Bulma looked him in the eyes. "Do I look like a pregnant woman?" she said, trying to sound furious.

Vegeta shrugged. "When a Saiyan woman becomes pregnant, she stays indoors at all times, and the only people who see her are slaves and the doctor, and if they want, the family, so most Saiyans don't know what a pregnant woman looks like."

Bulma frowned slightly at this. "Well, a pregnant woman would be VERY hard to miss. I'd be about fifty pounds bigger, with a sagging bosom, swollen ankles, and I'd be about as round as a space pod." _Now there's some delightful imagery,_ she thought, somehow keep herself from laughing.

Vegeta's eyes lit in amusement at her statement for a moment before his gaze darkened once again. "Then why were you hiding the clothes from me?"

The Queen forced a smile unto her face as she quickly produced another lie. "I didn't want you to think they were an invitation to mate with me."

Vegeta's eyes cleared of the distrust and filled with something else that Bulma couldn't quite recognize on Vegeta's face. He stood in silence, his tail twitched from left to right briefly, before winding itself slowly around the King's waist.

Bulma looked away from the appendage and snapped out of her trance. "Vegeta, I've decided to start sleeping in a nightgown from now on." She blurted.

Vegeta only shrugged, going back to his rummaging. "If it pleases you."

Bulma felt as though a ton of bricks had been lifted from her chest. _Just a couple of months left Bulma. Maybe you can get out of here before you have sex with that irresistible jerk again._

She changed into the one of the loose fitting nightgowns she made while Vegeta was gone. It was made to be VERY concealing; _all the better to hide the weight gain. _Bulma thought, grinning wryly.

She got in the bed and turned so that she was facing the wall. As soon as Vegeta got into the bed and turned off the lights, she closed her eyes, hoping that he was still too tired to try anything. He didn't make a sound as he draped an arm around her possessively before he fell asleep. Bulma wasn't bothered by this possessiveness; _My body might belong to him, but he'll never have my love._

*********

At exactly 0620, Bulma woke up and immediately ran to the bathroom. Afterwards, she went to the kitchen to get the bad taste out of her mouth. This had become a routine for her.

"What was all that noise you were making in the bathroom, woman?"

Bulma turned in surprise at the sound of the King's voice. He seemed irritated, and fully awake.

"I was feeling a little nauseous. I'm much better now," she lied, taking a sip of her glass of water.

Vegeta eyed her skeptically. "I don't want you throwing up in my bed. Go to the medical ward. One of those doctors could give you medicine to--"

"No!" Bulma interjected loudly. She lowered her voice at the look on Vegeta's face. "Really, I'm fine." She smiled weakly.

Vegeta shook his head and went back to bed, muttering about baka Earth women who were too cowardly to take medicine.

The Queen sighed in relief, _He still doesn't know. I'm so glad. I can't wear most of my old clothes; I guess I've definitely begun to gain weight. _She walked softly to the bedroom and got into the bed carefully.

************

Vegeta cringed inwardly as he heard Bulma throwing up in the bathroom about 30 minutes later. _Why is she so afraid of taking some medicine?_ He got out of the bed dejectedly and got dressed. There was no way he could sleep with all the noise Bulma was making. When she wasn't heaving she was cursing. Not that he really needed sleep, but he enjoyed lying in bed and doing nothing but thinking, or meditating, at times.

He ate in silence, watching as his mate shuffled into the room and filled a glass with water. She downed it pretty quickly, and flopped gracelessly into her chair across from him at the table.

Vegeta watched her discreetly; she seemed miserable: her eyes were dull and sort of glassy, she had definite circles forming under her eyes from lack of sleep, she was at least five shades paler than normal and for some reason, Vegeta imagined that she was bigger. _But that's impossible. She hardly eats._

He could feel her misery settling over him like a wool blanket in the summer, and he threw it off, trying to ignore the feeling. _How did I miss this yesterday? Was she just acting?_ He got up from the table; "I'm going to train today. I'll send Brocco to keep you company since you won't be going anywhere."

Grateful for the company, but angry at how Vegeta ordered her around so casually, as if it was perfectly normal and expected, Bulma frowned after him as he left. _Asshole. I hope he pays for all the suffering he's put me through. And I do mean ALL of it._

_***********_

_PLEASE REVIEW! ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS? EMAIL ME AT: _CLAIRESSE0123@YAHOO.COM


	9. Chapter Ten

Please Read and Review!

_***********_

*** *MIND GAMES* ***

"You look awful Bulma. Are you coming down with something?" Brocco asked, hours later.

The exhausted human female nodded, "It's nothing serious, though. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

The concerned First Commander decided she might as well not beat around the bush, 

"Have you gained weight Bulma?"

Bulma stiffened, unconsciously pulling her clothes away from her slightly protruding stomach, "Maybe a little. What business is it of yours Commander?" she snapped.

The older female flinched, her face flushed red as she looked down at her boots in her mortification; "I apologize, I meant no offense, my Queen."

_Why can't Vegeta be more like Brocco? She's the only Saiyan on this planet I can stand._ "That's okay Brocco. I'm just really sensitive about it."

Brocco smiled, "You were right, it is no business of mine. It's time for the King's training to be over, so I'm going. I'll see you." 

After the doors closed behind the tired Saiyan, Bulma went to the kitchen. _I'm starving! I guess I had better start eating for two now, _she thought, grimacing as she imagined herself in about two months._ I think Vegeta will have figured it out by then. _She found an easy to make Vegetaseii meal and started cooking, eagerly anticipating eating. Fifteen minutes and one burnt finger later and Bulma was ready to eat. Just after she finished her third helping, she thought she heard footsteps just outside of the door.

The doors opened, and in came a sweaty yet pleased looking Vegeta. _Well look what the cat dragged in,_ Bulma thought, a sardonic expression on her face. She left her empty dishes in the sink and went into the bedroom as Vegeta passed her and got into the shower. She changed out of one of the maternity dresses she had made, and got into one of her nightgowns. Bulma plopped onto the bed and sighed as she stared blankly at the ceiling with her hand moving absently on her stomach. _What if I **can't** escape; what will I do then? And what will Vegeta do when he finds out I've escaped?_

********* 

Vegeta entered the bedroom from his shower refreshed, but stopped as he noticed his mate lying on the bed looking whimsical, unhappy, and…vulnerable. His eyes narrowed as he noticed her hand resting protectively on her stomach. His doubts about whether or not his new mate was pregnant instantaneously disappeared as he remembered everything that previously aroused his suspicion and he felt his temper begin to rise, _She *IS*_ _pregnant._

********

As she lay there, the Queen of Vegetaseii wondered if going back to earth was really as big a deal as she had previously thought, _After all, everyone you knew is dead now. What do I have to go back to?_ She propped herself up on her elbows and frowned; _What is Vegeta doing? He's just standing there staring at me._

He was standing a few feet from the bed glaring at her; the veins on his forehead throbbed, showing how truly upset he was. She sat fully up and gazed at him, puzzled "What is it? What's wrong Vegeta?"

Vegeta's eyes shone dangerously before he answered her question with another, "Why did you lie, Bulma?"

Bulma groaned inwardly as she immediately realized what he was talking about, _But how does he know? How did he find out?_ "I had to do it to protect the baby." She stated, standing next to the bed, her head raised proudly.

"Who's the father?" he asked his voice full of venom.

"Don't be so damned ridiculous Vegeta. The father is--" She stopped as a voice in her head told her not to let him off so easily; _Here's your chance to pay him back for all the suffering he's caused you Bulma. Grab the bastard by the balls and don't let go until you think he's suffered enough. _"You're the father of course. Who else could it be?" She laughed her voice full of mirth, smirking at him.

Vegeta clenched his fists angrily, "You know perfectly well who's baby that could be; that thrice damned human in the slaves' quarters that you had sex with. For all I know, you could have been rutting with him while I was in Solmivia."

Bulma raised a thin, elegant eyebrow, but didn't deny it. Her heart was going at least 900 beats a minute and she could feel the blood pounding in her ears.__

With mixed pain and rage in his eyes, Vegeta moved over to Bulma and took her shoulders, staring intently in her eyes as he spoke, as if searching them for answers, "You said the child is mine; but will you swear to it?"

Briefly closing her eyes, Bulma shook her head, "No Vegeta. I won't. I've told you that the child is yours-that is going to have to be enough."

"Damn you! If you won't swear to it, it must be because you can't! The child is NOT mine!" He stormed his eyes turning icy and his grip on her shoulders tightening.

With her heart beating so loudly she was sure Vegeta could hear it, Bulma answered with as much conviction as she could muster, "Believe what you like. I don't care much either way." For a minute, she was sure the enraged Vegeta would strike her and she tensed awaiting the blow, her fear of him evident. Instead, Vegeta released her, and left without saying another word. He didn't have to; his eyes revealing everything his words didn't, if only Bulma would have looked closely enough.

Bulma exhaled loudly, unaware that she had been holding her breath. She was glad that was over and done with. And as she lay back down in the bed and called 'lights off' she thought, _As long as he isn't here I could really care less where that bastard is. Sorry Vegeta, but I guess you had to figure this out for yourself: there isn't a force in the universe more powerful, or more frightening than a woman scorned._

**********

He stormed down the nearly empty main hallway and into the ship port where Brocco was conducting a late night survey of the imported goods.

"Brocco!"

She dropped her pen and pad in surprise before recovering, and bowing, "Yes, 

Excellency?"

"Get up. Now, tell me when the next purging mission is scheduled to leave."

"Well," she flipped through the papers on her clipboard, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "There are none scheduled yet. We have found no planet that we need to add to your empire yet, sire. And besides, your orders were that we should no longer conduct such missions."

Vegeta snorted angrily, as he remembered making that order, "If any cause for leaving the planet comes, I will go also; the longer the mission, the better."

************

Middle of the fifth month...

Rachel was one of the few allowed to see Bulma, along with Vegeta (who RARELY saw her) and the doctor. Her pregnancy was apparent now, and the few times where the King actually saw her protruding belly he would storm out of the room and disappear for long periods of time; sometimes for days. He slept on the couch and showered in his training room as Rachel told Bulma.

The Queen was cheerful—she was in the second part of pregnancy: misery, cheery, weary—and pretended she didn't notice the gap forming between herself and the King, and insisted that there had been distance between them from the very beginning. She also wondered why it mattered to her.

Bulma suffered the usual aches and pains a woman in the latter months of pregnancy usually undertook, but she was glad that there were only four months left until she could leave. She tried not to think of the baby as a 'he' or 'she'; the baby was simply 'it'. By doing this, she was doing her best to keep from loving the baby and becoming attached to it. 

Unfortunately for Bulma, it was too late; the first time she felt 'it' move inside her, she knew she'd die before abandoning it on this planet.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was sorely tempted to drag that human he was sure Bulma mated with out of the slaves' quarters and strangle the life out of him. Something kept him from doing that; the tiny part of him that wasn't sure if the child was the baka's or his own. Bulma had lied to him several times; he felt that there was absolutely nothing keeping her from lying this time also. As a result of their being mated, she was part Saiyan and he part human. Vegeta was sure that the Saiyan part of her would honor a promise, yet the damned woman refused to swear that the child was his.

The King kept his anger in check by training whenever he had a free moment so that his mind wouldn't wander to the smirking blue-haired blue-eyed beauty, pregnant with another man's child that haunted his thoughts all day. He lost a great deal of third class fighters during this period.

Vegeta finally ceased his tendency to leave the room in a fury whenever he saw Bulma. He would remain where he was and would sit in stony silence, which was exactly what he was doing on this day as Bulma and her friend/slave laughed and talked. 

"Bulma, this is kind of personal, but I was just wondering...how are things between you and Vegeta going?" Rachel asked.

Bulma raised an eyebrow, and glanced quickly at the object of the conversation. "Well, he can at least stand to be in my presence now. I guess that's saying something for him."

Rachel winced. "Sorry I asked."

The VAP indicated there was an incoming call, Bulma—who was already standing next to the device—answered it, her face lighting up as she saw who was on the other line. "Hello Brocco."

"Uh...hello Your--Your Highness."

Bulma smiled at her. "So, how have things been?"

"Okay. I'm sorry if I seem rude Bulma, but I really have to talk to the King. He's there, right?"

Bulma's smile slowly disappeared. "He's here all right. Hold on a second, okay?" She moved away from the VAP machine and met Vegeta's eyes. "Brocco wants to speak to you." She lowered her gaze as he brushed past her to access the machine.

"This had better be important, Commander," he growled, fixing his ever-immaculate white gloves absently.

"Excellency, there's been another rebellion. We are needed off planet as soon as possible."

Vegeta immediately began barking orders back at her before he hurriedly ended the connection. He didn't once glance at Bulma as he walked past her and out of the room.

Rachel snorted disdainfully. "My goodness. He is SO rude! He didn't even say good bye."

Bulma smiled tiredly. "That's just the way he is Rachel."

"It isn't right. He knows about his baby now, right?"

"Well..."

Rachel gasped loudly. "You haven't told him? Bulma! How **could** you? He's the father and he has a right to know."

"I **did** tell him," Bulma replied defensively, "Only...he chose not to believe me."

Rachel frowned in confusion. "Why wouldn't he?"

Bulma blushed, fixing her clothes, and looking anywhere but at Rachel, "I-I let him believe that I had been with Yamcha. And when he asked me to swear that the child was not Yamcha's, but his, I told him that I wouldn't."

"No wonder he was initially so angry with you!" the redhead said, angrily.

Bulma bristled at her friend's tone. "He should have believed me when I first told him!"

Rachel softened her tone in an effort to calm them both down. "Why Bulma? You admitted to me that you lied to him several times. Why should he believe you now?"

The Queen frowned. "He should know that I wouldn't do something like that."

"**How** would he know that Bulma? You've been rather unpredictable; I'm surprised the King hasn't--" Rachel stopped suddenly as an idea hit her, _Why** hasn't **the King done anything to punish Bulma? Could he possibly care for her? That would explain a lot...yet, Bulma doesn't even seem to know it._ She changed the subject. "Bulma, how do you feel about the King?"

Frowning at the sudden change of subject, Bulma answered decisively. "He's the most unlikable person I've ever met. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. There must to be something you like about the King."

"Well, let's see," Bulma closed her eyes and began to rack her brain, "He's sexy, and has a somewhat warped sense of humor. I'd say he was a good lover but I have no one to compare him to. He's smart, and when he isn't being an asshole, he's tolerable. That's all I can come up with. Why? Do you like him Rachel?" With this, Bulma opened her cerulean eyes, and watched her friend curiously.

"He's cute, but he's too arrogant to be considered my type," Rachel replied waving her hand dismissively at the idea. "You two are perfectly suited because you're so alike...except for the arrogance thing," the redhead finished loyally.

Bulma laughed, her eyes twinkling merrily, "That is the funniest thing I've ever heard. I'm much more 'arrogant' than I appear to be; I just hide it well." Rachel joined her laughing, and the two were still enjoying the confession made by Bulma when Vegeta walked in the room and sat on the sofa wearily.

Bulma stopped laughing immediately. "Well?" She asked him in the SL.

He turned to look at her. "'Well' what, woman? And shouldn't you be sitting down or something?" he snapped.

Ignoring his words was easy; ignoring his tone was much harder; ignoring his eyes was impossible. Bulma visibly flinched at the venom in his voice but she pressed on. "What is going on with the rebellion?" she asked, ignoring his second question.

Vegeta turned back around in the couch, glaring at a spot on the rug under his feet. "Nappa has put together a band of followers. He's trying to disrupt my control of certain planets in our empire." he said the statement angrily, yet there was hurt underlying his words.

Before she could stop herself, Bulma put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Vegeta. I know that Nappa was a friend of yours."

Without turning to look at her, Vegeta coldly replied. "You know nothing. I do not want your damn sympathy so just leave me the hell alone."

Bulma pulled her hand back so quickly it was as though she had touched a burning hot coal. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard before softly answering. "If it pleases you." She turned to Rachel, who was watching Bulma's face since she couldn't understand them.

"What happened?" she asked the Queen in English.

Bulma sighed. "He said he doesn't want my sympathy."

Rachel glanced at the King's rigid back; "Does he speak English?"

"Of course not, but I'd really prefer not to talk about him. He might hear his name."

Rachel scoffed at Bulma's uneasiness. "Don't be stupid Bulma. If you really want this asshole to warm up to you, you had better tell him about the child."

Bulma sighed heavily; "He won't believe me Rachel. I told him it was his and he chose not to believe."

_"_Just swear that it's his, he'll believe you then."

"No!" Bulma said loudly, before speaking more normally, "No. I will not. He will have to believe my word, or just suffer as he has been. I have my pride also Rachel."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Bulma before casually commenting. "You know Bulma, sue me if I'm wrong, but I could swear that you care for the pain in the ass."

Bulma laughed mockingly at herself as she considered this statement. "So could I, Rachel; so could I."

The slave gasped. "I was only kidding! Were you serious?"

"Yes."

"And when did you realize this?"

Bulma frowned as she tried to remember the precise moment. "I guess I just sort of always loved him underneath the hatred and it sort of all combined into one." She shrugged, "Doesn't matter much anyway; I have to leave here in less than four months."

Rachel frowned. "You can't leave, Bulma! You'd leave all the people you care for? It's not as though there's anything left for you on Earth anymore."

Bulma blinked rapidly to keep the tears from overflowing. "Earth is the only place I've ever been able to call home."

Sighing deeply and trying not to tear up herself, Rachel answered. "I know how you feel Bulma; I miss Earth too. But you're married now, sort of, and you have a child to stay here for."

"Married?" Bulma looked at Vegeta's rigid back briefly thinking, _He must be meditating again, or he would have said ended this conversation_. "This is a sham marriage. I may or may not love this arrogant asshole, but that certainly does NOT mean he even gives me the time of day. He abhors me; I know and can accept that for now, but I can't live with that hatred forever." She stiffened as Vegeta moved slightly and sighed in relief as he zone out again.

"What about his child?"

Bulma turned at the whispered question, her face reflecting her inner turmoil. "The child will remain with Vegeta; the rightful father."

Rachel's brows furrowed together disappointment written all over her face. "I can't believe that you're capable of such thinking, 

Bulma."

The human female couldn't bring herself to meet her friend's gaze as she answered dolefully. "Neither can I." 

********

Rachel helped Bulma into bed for her nap soon after that, a puzzled expression on her face as she left her worn-out friend lying there.

_Why did Vegeta say nothing to end the conversation? Doesn't he understand English? Well, I suppose he must be meditating._ She stole a glance at the King, who was exactly as she and Bulma had left him; on the couch with his head tilted downward, and his back as straight as an arrow. She shivered unconsciously at the sight, unused to the immobile state in which those who meditate went into.

Rachel hummed softly as she began to prepare dinner for the two rulers. She was allowed to eat with the King and Queen, but the tension between those two was usually so intense that she chose not to. 

The busy American almost dropped the stack of dishes she had just gotten out of the cabinet when she heard the King on the VAP machine. She whirled around to see Vegeta with his back to her, talking quietly, yet urgently to a pretty woman Rachel recognized as the First Commander. The Commander bowed at whatever Vegeta had just said, and ended the transmission.

Vegeta turned slowly and caught Rachel's eyes. The corner of his mouth raised slowly in an unmistakable smirk, as if he was laughing at her. Rachel flushed and returned to her work. _That sneaky bastard! What is he up to? I wish I was paying attention when that guard tried to teach me the SL. Maybe I should tell Bulma..._

_***********_

(Heh, I love that part!)

WHAT COULD BE GOING ON? WHAT IS VEGETA UP TO? PLEASE REVIEW AND I'LL SEE YOU GUYS NEXT TIME.

~BULMA16


	10. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** Long time no see, right everyone? Ah, well, better late than never right? Ahem. Anyway, only one chapter update this time (as we get closer and closer to the end I'm making more and more changes) but I think this chapter is a good one in a way. Just a bit of advice: never take anything any character says as is. There will always be clues to show you that (for example) when someone says, "I hate you and wish I never met you" that they're really thinking "I hate that loving you makes me feel vulnerable" or something to that effect. Okay, that's enough of that! Onto the show!

**MiNd GaMeS: Chapter Eleven**

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Uh, DBZ is the creation of __Akira__Toriyama__. Not me. My only creation (I'm sad to say) is __Lady __Sinclair__. Well, there are some more but none that you've seen on TV before. _

**_WARNING!_** A 'bad' situation comes up later; let me reassure you that this is a B/V don't stop reading because you think Vegeta has gone crazy or something. I wrote this situation in here because I thought it would show both characters' feelings for each other (which it does if you read between the lines) and because it becomes MUCH more significant later when we find out more about the scarlet-haired woman.

READ AND ENJOY!

The Queen had wanted to have her dinner within the confines of her own rooms that night, so Rachel pulled up a chair and ate at her side (the King was out, only Kami knows where). She eagerly told Bulma all she had witnessed an hour ago, ending the story with Vegeta's smirk.

Bulma's face took on a sort of whimsical, lop-sided smile. "I really don't give a damn as to what his royal pain in my ass is doing, as long as he isn't bothering me."

Rachel raised her eyebrows in amused disbelief and looked pointedly at Bulma's right hand, which was gripping her fork so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Bulma looked down at her hand in mild surprise, and instantly released the utensil so that it clattered into her bowl.

Her friend laughed. "You have a funny way of showing your 'disregard' for him."

The blue haired genius laughed slightly, a rueful expression on her face. "I guess. Is it really that obvious?" she asked in a low, resigned voice.

"Only if you've seen it before," Rachel replied, answering soberly. "I think you need to tell Vegeta everything-and I do mean EVERYTHING Bulma-if you ever want to be happy." The redhead looked pointedly at Bulma as they heard the door open.

The pregnant earth woman stiffened slightly, but took a deep breath and got out of the bed, walking purposefully to the main room. "Ve-" she stopped. It wasn't Vegeta, but a slave. "Yes?" she asked, puzzled.

The slave got on his knees and bowed low to the floor, not daring to look at her. "My Queen, the King wishes for you to come to the throne room to receive a guest."

Bulma frowned, "Tell the King I will be there shortly." The slave crept out of the room silently as the Queen of Vegetaseii returned to the bedroom. She quickly informed Rachel of her situation, and began to dress as she spoke. Rachel helped her as best as she could and did her friend's hair for her, cursing Vegeta's abruptness under her breath.

The result of their hard work was stunning. The red dress Bulma had chosen hid her unborn child's large safe haven well, and with the matching shawl that hung almost to her knees, it was impossible for any outsider to guess at her pregnancy. Her hair hung around her shoulders in long ringlets that made her look younger, thanks to Rachel, and she wore no make up. The dress was like none seen on Vegetaseii, because Rachel had made it for Bulma on one of her off days. When Bulma thanked her for it, the American blushed and waved a hand in dismissal at her thanks, "It was the least I could do for you after all you've done for me." The knee-length dress accentuated the blue of Bulma's hair, and since it was strapless, it also showed off the ample bosom, which came with pregnancy, well.

"Time to face the lion in his den," Rachel stated, handing Bulma a short pair of red boots with one-inch heels. "Are you sure you want to wear these? It definitely won't make the pain you're experiencing any better; actually, it'll make it worse."

"Beauty is pain." Bulma answered nonchalantly, waving absently at Rachel as she left.

Vegeta threw his cape over his shoulder. He hated wearing it, but he felt it would aid him in his ploy by adding authenticity to his actions. One of his slaves had just told him that Bulma was to be here soon. He was waiting for a slave (something he didn't do very often) to come to him with word of his mate's response.

He sat in his throne expectantly, gripping the arms of the golden throne tensely. As the slave arrived, his slightly raising anger disappeared. He waited impatiently, as the slave bowed. "Rise and speak," he snapped.

The slave got on his feet and looked to the floor, "Lady Cambodia's ship has landed sire. She is presently being escorted here, as you instructed."

Vegeta nodded curtly and dismissed the slave. His tail (which was usually wound tightly around his waist in a no nonsense fashion) twitched at his side, showing the excitement the King was finding hard to contain. _Soon_, he thought, smirking slightly, _very soon._

Lady Cambodia Sinclair was not what one would call an introvert-anything that crossed her mind immediately came out of her mouth, often hurting the feelings of others and reducing powerful warriors and emperors to trembling boys. As if this wasn't bad enough, the woman in question was also, uh, "_blessed"_ with a strong set of vocal chords that allowed her sultry, aristocratic voice to be heard by those miles away if she so wished. It was due to these chords that Bulma knew there was a woman in the throne room with Vegeta before she even opened the door to the throne room. Her hand hovered over the door handle and trembled slightly as she found herself wondering: _is Vegeta replacing me with another woman?_ The Queen of Vegetaseii opened the door decisively and breezed into the room.

"Oh, Vegeta, you tease; you know you want this," a curvy vixen purred, kissing Vegeta passionately. The kiss lasted maybe 25 seconds; twenty-five seconds of pure hell for Bulma. Vegeta responded to her kiss briefly, before gently pushing the redhead away. He held unto her hand and stroked it slightly, eventually looking up and seeing Bulma, his eyes luminous and full of an emotion Bulma could not have placed even if she was not blinded with rage at that particular moment.

As the earth woman angrily strode down the length of the red carpet toward Vegeta, the female guest turned and looked over her shoulder at her, raising her perfectly sculpted eyebrows disdainfully.

Bulma frowned as she got a good look at the home wrecker's face: _She is very beautiful. No wonder Vegeta chose her._ She wasn't sure if being replaced by such an exceedingly beautiful woman was a good thing, or not. Lady Cambodia-who stood 5 feet eleven inches-was a striking woman with beautifully scarlet hair that matched the color of Bulma's dress. Her red tresses were long and parted down the middle, partially covering her left eye. Her slender and curvaceous body which was clad in a provocative black outfit (equipped with a short dagger at her hip) made Vegeta's mate clench her fists in anger as she remembered how much more beautiful she had been before her pregnancy. The fiery red-head could have easily passed for a human. Bulma felt immediate loathing for the woman, and by the look in Cambodia's emerald eyes, the feeling was definitely mutual.

Her loud voice was beautiful, cultured even, and her words cut through Bulma like a knife. "Your slave is dressed a little extravagantly; don't you think so, Vegeta?"

Vegeta stood, his onyx eyes revealing nothing as he impatiently flipped his cape over his shoulder. "Cambodia Sinclair, this is my mate, Bulma," he stated, his voice as cool and light as a New England day.

Bulma put a cool smile on her face and dropped a very regal curtsy, even though it hurt her ankles. "Charmed," she got out between clenched teeth. Vegeta shot her a curious glance, but then his eyes quickly returned to Cambodia as though he was purposefully making an effort not to look at her.

Their guest raised a red eyebrow in surprise. "When did you get joined Vegeta?"

Vegeta frowned slightly, as if remembering that event pained him. "It doesn't matter."

Cambodia smiled triumphantly at Bulma and wound her hands in Vegeta's cape. "I didn't think so," she said laughing.

The fake, cold smile slipped off of Bulma's face and she fought to keep from attacking the woman, who was openly appraising Vegeta in front of her. She struggled to keep her tones civil as she spoke to Vegeta. "Did you need me for something, _Your Highness_?" She couldn't stop herself from hissing the last two words with venom in her voice, her eyes flashing with her pent up rage and frustration.

Vegeta's eyes shone briefly with an unknown emotion before he shot back a reply, "You're mistaken. I don't '**NEED** YOU' for anything. I merely desired that you meet our guest. She will be here for the next few weeks."

Bulma smiled stiffly at the curious yet obviously amused Cambodia. "Then I will take my leave." She quickly curtsied to Cambodia and left quickly.

As the doors closed behind her, she heard the wretched Sinclair woman's laughter. "I'm so glad you asked me to come, Vegeta. This will be just like old times..."

The Queen clenched her fists angrily as she walked swiftly to her room. _Damn them both to hell. And triple damn Vegeta. I don't need him either!_

She waited tensely for Vegeta to come back to the room so that he could sleep on the couch like he had been every day during the course of her pregnancy. He never came. Bulma cried herself to sleep silently for reasons she wasn't even aware of.

"He never came back? Oh, the nerve of that **bastard**!" Rachel exclaimed in an attempt to comfort her friend who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

"He slept with that woman. I know it!"

_But wait a second __Rachel__; let's try to give him the benefit of the doubt here. After all, I was just beginning to suspect that the King might possibly harbor feelings for Bulma. _The American woman's auburn brows furrowed as she tried to think of some way to make this situation out not to be a catastrophic event. "We can't really assume that just because--"

Bulma interrupted her furiously, her eyes snapping open and locking angrily on Rachel's. "Where else would he be Rachel?" she demanded.

Rachel turned away from her friend for she knew that within those blue eyes, she would see the immense underlying hurt and betrayal the Queen was trying so hard to suppress. "I-I don't know. But how could he? I thought he--"

Laughing mirthlessly, the young scientist finished her sentence. "You thought he actually cared about me. If you believed that you are just as stupid as I am."

Her American friend frowned at her, frustration in her words. "Stop it Bulma! You're feeling sorry for yourself, and trust me, that never helps. Just because Vegeta is being an ass, doesn't mean you have to fall to pieces. You need to keep yourself together and--"

The door opened, cutting the rest of Rachel's sentence off. The very topic of their conversation walked in briskly with that oh-so-annoying and oh-so-Saiyan like aura of arrogance about him.

Bulma seethed silently for a moment before she was able to compose herself a bit more. "Rachel. Can you excuse us for a minute?" Rachel nodded and darted past Vegeta and out of the door, praying that things would work out for her friend and simultaneously thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't left behind in that tension filled room with those two. __

Vegeta's eyes followed Rachel as she all but ran out of their quarters, and he raised an eyebrow in question as his eyes returned to Bulma's face where there were faint traces of red on her cheeks.

The enraged Queen of Vegetaseii pushed herself away from the wall and moved toward Vegeta purposefully. She stopped when there was about half a foot between them, her voice as cold and hard as steel. "Why have you come back?"

The dark, fathomless eyes of the King narrowed slightly at her demeanor. "Why, pray tell do you even give a damn one way or another?"

"I DON'T!" Bulma yelled, temporarily losing her icy composure. "I **don't** care," she began again, her voice going back to that frigid tone she could adopt so well. "I was just hoping that bitch would keep you occupied, and I wouldn't have to see you any more."

Vegeta smirked before answering. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."

The Queen laughed dryly. "Jealous? To be jealous of her I'd actually have to have some kind of feelings toward you, and I assure you that I don't."

Vegeta said nothing but looked upon her, his eyes full of scorn.

"I must confess Vegeta that this isn't too much of surprise to me," Bulma continued, her anger growing even more at his mention of her jealousy. "I was wondering when you'd find some smarmy bitch to try to replace me but by Kami, I thought you'd let the sheets cool down a little before you found another unwilling wretch to satisfy your wild, uncontrollable animalistic urges," she hissed her eyes boring into his angrily.

His expression never wavered as he took a step toward her, closing the distance between them so that there were mere millimeters between their faces. "You may never know just how much self-control I've had to exercise when dealing with the likes of you," Vegeta said coldly, his obsidian eyes reflecting his hatred for her. "But if I have to deal with any more of your melodramatic bull shit, I may just run out of patience."

Bulma sucked in her breath audibly at his tone and then the intense look in his eyes took their toll on her. Frightened, she took a step away from him, but her enlarged state along with her mixed emotions made her clumsy. She stumbled and fell on her rear end, her teeth slamming together with a jar, causing her to whimper slightly. She looked up at Vegeta, who looked startled and…something else that was very hard to read on his face. He kneeled in front of her silently, his eyes looking intently into hers. His previous aura of hate and disdain disappeared and was replaced by an emotion Bulma would have identified as concern in any one else's face but his.

Now more confused than afraid, Bulma sucked in her breath and awkwardly got on her feet, stepping away from the King, anxious to get away from him in her confusion. _I don't understand what's going on. What is he trying to pull?_

Vegeta stood and looked away from her before she could see the look in his eyes, "I apologize for my behavior," he said quietly. "I'll find someplace where my presence is wanted." With that, he left the room, his cape swirling behind him.

Even more confused than before, Bulma watched him go, a lump rapidly rising in her throat, she swallowed painfully and tried to call to him back. "Wait, don't go." Unfortunately, it was far too late. And she knew exactly where his presence was wanted…with that seductress, Lady Cambodia Sinclair.

The End of Chapter Eleven!

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter of Mind Games! I changed it quite a bit from the original just to spice it up. Please review me or email me! Oh and for those who asked me to email them the lemon, I promise I'll send it to you as soon as I get my old computer up and running.

Ciao for now minna-san!

Claire/B16


	11. Chapter Twelve

Konnichiwa minna-san! Claire-Chan desu! Yeah, I know it's been a while since the last update, but trust me, I will make it worth your while ) So go ahead and read, review if you feel inclined. Those of you who read this 2 years ago, see if you can remember what happens next!

* * *

Mind Games: Chapter Twelve

> Middle of the seventh month...

If you asked Bulma how things were going on Vegetaseii, she would tell you "things are rotten, Cambodia is a rotten conniving bitch, and Vegeta is a rotten whoreson." But of course, if you asked Lady Cambodia Sinclair, she would tell you things were "simply divine, darling, thanks for asking". If you were brave enough to ask him, the King would tell you things were, "going exactly as they should, you nosy son of a bitch; keep the hell out of my way."

The King kept his guest fully _entertained_ for the two months, and the few times when he talked to Bulma the conversation usually ended in her bursting into tears, and Vegeta storming out of the room.

A minor rebellion sprang up and was easily taken care of. While Vegeta departed to take care of this, Lady Cambodia was left basically alone with Bulma. The two women did not get along at all, which is an understatement for one, but it is also understandable since both want something different from Vegeta. Their verbal battles were fierce in nature and sometimes lasted for hours. Neither cried nor in any way showed the other how the words spoken wounded their feelings. But there was no hiding or denying the enormity of the rift between them.

Vegeta soon returned from space, and these battles were put to an end. Once in a while, there would be a minor skirmish, but Vegeta always intervened, taking Cambodia's side, and ignoring Bulma.

Bulma spent much of her time in her room, unless protocol required that she make an appearance. Surprisingly, her pregnancy still went unnoticed, due to the clothes she wore. Thanks to some help from Rachel and her unfortunate abundance of free time (due to Vegeta entertaining Cambodia) she was the owner of quite an extensive maternity wardrobe.

The doctors offered to reveal the sex of the child but Bulma declined. She didn't want to know. Knowing would make it that much harder to leave the child when it was time. 

**The Present **

"If you like, "_Your Highness"_, I can find a _suitable_ tailor to make your clothes, so you won't have to wear those RAGS."

Bulma clenched her teeth, her irritation quickly elevating. "No, thank you, '_Lady_' Cambodia, I'm aware that you '**know**' a great many men, but my current tailor is fine, thank you."

Cambodia's eyes narrowed at the insinuation, but before she could even open her mouth to reply, Vegeta walked into the room. The redhead rushed to meet him. "Vegeta, darling! I was worried about you." She smiled prettily and put one of her thin hands on his chest.

Vegeta ignored her hand and glanced in Bulma's direction for a brief moment. "Were you?" he asked in a tone that said he really didn't give a damn.

"Of course. I'd be mortified if anything happened to you," she said pouting up at him. Cambodia kissed his cheek briefly, and began drawing circles on his chest with a long, manicured fingernail, inwardly laughing as she sensed the anger of the human behind her growing.

Vegeta's eyes revealed his amusement for a short moment. "I'm going to have to leave again."

Bulma frowned, trying to ignore Cambodia's actions. "Why?"

"Nappa," he said angrily, though for once it was not aimed at his mate. "I heard he's on Sagon and I want to get this fight over and done with."

"Planet Sagon? But-but that's so far away!" Bulma said breathlessly, putting a hand to her chest in surprise.

Vegeta turned his gaze to her again, his expression slightly mocking. "Careful Bulma, I could almost swear that was concern I heard in your voice," he said lightly.

Bulma looked down at her feet in an attempt to hide the blush that came to her cheeks. "I-It's just that--"

"Oh Vegeta! I shall _perish_ waiting for you to return from that dirty little planet!" Cambodia interjected bombastically, pressing her body suggestively against the King.

Vegeta frowned ever so slightly, but Bulma noticed. "Cambodia, your theatrics are beginning to tire me," he said quietly.

Cambodia's green eyes flashed once with some emotion that was quickly dampened. She stepped away from him, and stayed silent, her face in a sulky pout.

Vegeta continued where he'd left off before. "I should be back in a few months." He looked pointedly at Bulma, who seemed startled to hear that. Bulma wondered if Vegeta knew that she only had a few months left. Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Vegeta nodded at her slightly before turning to the sulking Cambodia and offering her his arm. "Come, I'll take you to bed."

Bulma felt the world spin around her at Vegeta's choice of words. _Maybe he didn't mean it like that. This can't be!_ She pasted a sickly smile on her face as Vegeta and Cambodia walked past her, and out the door. _He's **already** replaced me?_ "So soon?" She said aloud. The corridor echoed her words back to her: "Soon? So soon? So? Soon? So?" _When did this happen?! I know I told Rachel that I suspected he and that-that creature were…involved, but I didn't want to believe that it could be true_.

She trudged dejectedly to **her** roomas she called it now since Vegeta rarely came in there, except for once to get some of his clothes, and another time to tell her about a joining ceremony between two of the second class, which as royalty, she was required to attend.

The door opened, and she stepped in wearily. _Something doesn't feel right_, she found herself thinking as she looked about her front rooms. It was as though something was warning her of things to come. Bad things. Bulma shivered as she remembered she was alone, _I wouldn't mind Vegeta being here now. Even if he **does** hate me. _

The human female changed her clothes and carefully got into bed making a face as all the aches and pains she had been experiencing in the small of her back seemed to intensify. Bulma reached across the bed and got Vegeta's pillow; placing it in the small of her back. _Oh, that feels much better_. She sighed, closed her eyes, and in a few moments only knew darkness.

* * *

_'You don't even care, do you Bulma? You don't give a damn. You lied to me. Bitch. You lied to me. Bitch. You don't even care. You don't even give a damn, you--'_

Bulma sat up sweating, the accusing voice of Yamcha still haunting her even outside of her nightmares. It was true. She did lie to him, and she had forgotten all about him; though, not on purpose.

The human female glanced at her watch; it was 0300 hours. Groaning slightly, she got out of the bed and moved to the computer. She said her name and the computer instantly allowed her access to every file on the system. She typed in Brocco's name and looked at the list of Brocco's slaves. Yamcha was the commander's messenger, and he was still alive. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief and turned the machine off. She'd try to contact Yamcha later. She moved a little unsteadily toward the bathroom. She called for the lights to come on, fixing her hair in the mirror before sitting in the main room. She sat down to read one of the books Brocco had given her before the joining ceremony.

* * *

OKAY, THAT'S THE END. VEGETA'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF SOME BUSINESS ON SAGON, BULMA WISHES HE WOUILD STAY. VEGETA'S GOING TO BE GONE DURING THE BIRTH OF bulma's CHILD? OH NO!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? WELL, HERE'S A PEEK:

(WARNING VERY DISTURBING/GRAPHIC MATERIAL AHEAD please reAD AT YOUR OWN RISK).

Her false cheer and happiness faded and she instantly became a furious looming force. Bulma's eyes were a very dark red, and her face twisted into an ungainly sneer. She threw the child to the floor violently, and put a dainty foot on its tiny chest, crushing the bones of the child maliciously.

The look on Vegeta's face turned to one of murderous rage, but he could not move a limb. 'The child IS yours Vegeta and I curse you for it. Damn you, you bastard. Damn--'

12/10/04: Wow, this is a short chapter! I'll post another to make up for it. I haven't changed this one very much, so it's pretty much exactly as it was when I first posted it a million years ago.


	12. Chapter Thirteen

**DEC. 10, 2004: I've done it! I have 20 typed pages of LTL written and I am so proud of me! I promise to update LTL soon, okay?** Okay, enjoy this chapter. It's much longer than the last, and much nicer.

* * *

Mind Games: Chapter Thirteen 

At exactly 0900 hours, Bulma began to walk to the ship port to see Vegeta off. He hadn't told her the time of his departure, but she had found out from Rachel, who had found out via the ever reliable, if somewhat complicated, slave gossip network.

She paused slightly before entering the dome and shook off the sense of foreboding she felt hit her for a moment as she watched a small ship shoot off into space. Adjusting her royal blue shawl, she opened the door and walked the distance to the ship on which her mate would be leaving for space…again.

A few of the second-class soldiers came off the ship with clipboards in their hands, gesturing and talking amongst themselves animatedly. Bulma smiled faintly as she recognized the tall, shorthaired, pushover (when it comes to women), Second Commander who was supervising them carefully, with his scouter on. He was dressed in battle armor also, and so it seemed as though he was going on the voyage also, but_ isn't the 2nd Commander supposed to stay, while the 1st Commander goes with the King? _Bulma pondered this a moment before a gust of wind from a departing space pod blew her shawl from her shoulders and seemingly into the infinite space above. The Queen felt that apprehensive feeling again as she saw the disappearing piece of blue cloth against the backdrop of the dark night sky.

_Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm probably just on edge because of Cambodia,_ she thought, tearing her gaze from the sky, and rubbing her arms for warmth. It was then she noticed a silent figure a distance to her right, watching the ship as intently as the 2nd Commander was. _Vegeta_. Bulma moved silently over to him, but his Saiyan ears heard her regardless and he turned to her expectantly. The Earth woman gave him a lopsided grin. "Surprise."

The King crossed his arms over his chest as if-subconsciously-to put another barrier between them. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, not in a mean way, but as though he was genuinely baffled as to why she had come.

"I came to see you off."

Disappointment crossed his face, and his expression settled into that oh so familiar smirk that could drive a woman crazy simultaneously with rage and desire. "Why? Will you miss me?"

Bulma briefly wondered at the disappointment she had seen on his face before responding, forcing a laugh. "Only as much as you will miss me."

Something resembling amusement came across his features before it quickly disappeared. His tone was still slightly mocking. "Cambodia's leaving later today. If not for me, I know you willat least, be sad to see _her_ go."

Scowling fiercely, Bulma replied between clenched teeth at the mention of that woman. "I most certainly will NOT! I will be the happiest being on the planet once she's out of my hair for good."

"Jealous?"

"Of _what_? She has nothing for me to be jealous of," she said in a tone that said "so there!" even as she silently added, _Except for you. _

Vegeta semi-smiled for what seemed like a split second before his countenance returned to its usual stoic expression. The King solemnly held a white-gloved hand out to her palm up and Bulma instantly put hers into his, even though her eyes showed her confusion. Vegeta briefly wondered why and how she was able to so easily trust him so much and so completely.

He turned her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist, looking into her startled sapphire eyes. She stared at him in confusion, surprise, and something else that Vegeta could not place. She said, "Oh!" so faintly that he barely heard it.

Vegeta released her hand, and took a small step back. "Good luck with the brat," he said gruffly. He turned on his heel and walked up the ramp and onto the ship.

Bulma bit her lip to keep herself from calling him back to her as she felt her heart stir with an emotion. Not lust, something more powerful, something more permanent.

Brocco walked up to her solemnly (the only Saiyan to see the farewell from the King) "Do you still hate him, Bulma?"

Before the flustered Queen could answer, the ship switched on and the engines roared to life. Brocco held onto Bulma's elbow to keep her from blowing away as the ship suddenly took off. She released Bulma and sighed as she heard heated arguing on the other side of the port. "Excuse me, Your Highness, but duty calls."

She started walking rapidly toward two angry Saiyans, and Bulma watched, still in a state of shock and bewilderment. _What was Vegeta trying to prove? _Without fully realizing it, she left the ship port and began the long trek back to her room.

As she walked, Bulma wondered. _Why is Cambodia leaving? Is she going to meet Vegeta somewhere in space, or has he grown tired of her? _

She sighed and said her name in a weary voice, waiting until the door of her quarters shut behind her before she trudged to her bedroom, a strange feeling of tiredness settling about her. She turned her back to the bed and let herself fall straight back, smiling a little as she made herself more comfortable.

The befuddled woman tried not to think of Vegeta. _Our relationship is way too confusing and way too painful for me to dwell on for long. _She closed her eyes calling, "Lights out". _Why does he intrigue me so much? _Bulma wondered, lying on her bed tiredly. Bulma pulled the covers around her, images of her mate's face in her mind as she slept.

* * *

>Vegeta could see nothing for the blackness that surrounded him. But he could smell her. Something about her smell was different now. He smelt pure unadulterated evil in and about her. 'Damn it woman! Where are you?' 

Her voice answered him teasingly from all sides. 'I am right here Vegeta. Can't you see me?'

He took a step forward. 'Where?'

'Right here, silly.' Her sultry voice answered, chuckling. She appeared before Vegeta, and he could see the outline of a child in her arms, wrapped tightly in a yellow blanket, but no trace of it could be seen.

She smiled at him winningly, before giggling and kissing the baby. 'Do you believe me _now_ about the baby?' Her eyes shone surreally as she waited for his response.

Vegeta looked at the child, not immediately speaking, unsure as to how he should answer.

'Bulma' saw this. Her false cheer and happiness faded and she instantly became a furious looming force. Her eyes became very dark red, and her face twisted into an ungainly sneer. She threw the child to the floor violently, and put a dainty foot on its tiny chest, crushing it maliciously. The look on Vegeta's face turned to one of murderous rage, but he could not move a limb. 'The child IS yours, Vegeta and I curse you for it. Damn you, you bastard. Damn--'

* * *

Vegeta sat up from his narrow bed in a fury, but eventually calmed down as he reminded himself that it was only a dream. He frowned as he absently scratched his shoulder. _Damn it Vegeta, you need to stop thinking of that wench and keep your mind on the mission. For cripes sake, you'd think we were… _

His thought trailed off as he realized what he was thinking and what he was doing. "Oh shit," he hissed angrily.

* * *

"Damn him, damn him," Bulma heard herself muttering as she slowly regained consciousness. She sat up gingerly and felt a series of shudders rack her body as she involuntarily recalled the appearance of the 'Bulma' in her dream. That voice that was hers, yet not quite hers echoed in the recesses of her mind and frightened her immensely. 

She closed her eyes more tightly and tried to think of something, anything more pleasant. _The only thing that comes to mind is…Vegeta. His hands, his face, his kisses. Kami help me, that man is near-perfection!_ She thought, falling to sleep, a contented smile on her face as she quickly put the nightmare behind her.

* * *

About a hundred GU's away…

Kaaren Doublet O'Connor, one of the planet's most notorious prostitutes, deftly made her way over to the lone figure seated at the bar.

About half an hour earlier, she'd checked the small drawstring bag she kept nestled in her bosom only to find that she was running disturbingly low on monetary units this week. _I knew I shouldn't have bought those damn edible underwear,_ she thought, irritated with herself. _They're good for one client, and then after that I have to hope those cheap bastards pay enough to offset the costs._ Kaaren would do whatever she could to get this client; those new crotch-less panties she'd seen the other day weren't going to come cheap.

"Hey there handsome," she purred, putting a hand into the stranger's back pants pocket. "Are you looking for a good time?"

Stiffening, the figure replied through clenched teeth. "I'm a **WOMAN** you stupid cow." _Great ZARIAN above, I hate my job sometimes._

"It doesn't bother me," Kaaren replied unconcerned, removing the diamond combs from her bun and letting her silky blue hair fall down to her knees. She smiled at her potential client's stare. "Impressed? I've been growing it out for over2 years now," she said in her tangy accent.

"Fascinating," was the Zafrite's absent reply. "Actually, I think I would like a…'good time'. Come with me please."

Kaaren smiled as she caught sight of her envious 'friends' gawking at her recent catch. _Too bad for them I got here first. A slow whore is a hungry and badly dressed whore._

The blue haired, blue-eyed woman smiled as the Zafrite left some bills on the counter and got ready to leave. "Sure sweetie, but I don't even know your name."

"Bolivia."

"Bolivia? Well you're going to have the night of your life sugar," Kaaren laughed, picking up her ornate fan and following the frail figure before her.

Bolivia smiled faintly as she showed the eager prostitute where her capsule car was parked. "Something tells me you're right."

* * *

About an hour and ½ later… 

A steady beeping noise broke through the silence. _Why the bloody hell do people call me at the most inappropriate, inopportune moments?_ Cambodia thought groggily, blindly reaching for the transmitter that she kept by the bed.

"Lady Cambodia, this is 1st class officer Bolivia Shaker reporting."

Cambodia sat up and ran a hand through her tousled hair as she yawned tiredly. "Go ahead Bo."

"A subject has been captured as you ordered and is being prepared for elimination."

A devilish smile lit the Zafrite's gorgeous features. "**Excellent!** Is she really as close a match as they said she was?"

Bolivia squirmed a little under the glare of her ruler. "Yes, my lady."

"Good. Have the teleportation unit send her here." She ended the transmission and stretched like a cat as she stifled a yawn, a smile on her face. Cambodia got out of bed as she went over recent developments in her mind's eye, a_ foolproof plan to get rid of a fool. Genius; pure and simple genius. Great ZARIA above, but I'm brilliant! _

* * *

Brocco tried again to rouse her ruler, who was hiding her head under a pillow. "Your Highness, the King is on the VAP right NOW!" 

Bulma sat up surprisingly fast for one of her size, realizing how futile it was to try to sleep with Brocco in such a frenzy. "Do you see this face Brocco? Let me know when it says I give a damn," she growled angrily even as she hurried to the living room.

The impatient face of the King met hers. "It took you long enough," he growled angrily.

"Well, EXCUSE ME if I didn't know that the bakayaro Vegeta no Ou wants ME to rush to his side and be at his beck and call!" she said angrily in her own language.

"You try my patience, onna." Vegeta warned her in Japanese. He switched back to the SL, "Now cease your endless yammering and listen to what I have to say."

Bulma tried to hide her surprise as she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. "All right, I'm listening."

Vegeta looked as though he was in severe pain as he spoke in apparent irritation. "Do you have a mark on your left shoulder?"

"Of course not you ass! As you should know, my body is flawless! Why would I have—"

"Just look!" The King roared his patience finally gone.

Bulma scowled at him and suppressed the urge to stick her tongue out at him as she yanked her sleeve up angrily. "See, you jerk, there's no—" Her eyes widened as a distinctive mark caught her eye. "What in the name of Kami is THIS?"

"Damn it to hell," Vegeta cursed as his eyes fell onto the mark that was similar to his own. "We're bonded. That's a bondage mark that I have also…unfortunately." _How did this happen? Why did this happen? Damn it, now things are more complex than ever. _

Bulma's feature lit up in remembrance as she remembered Brocco telling her all about bonding, "Oh shit," she gasped, looking at Vegeta's face to gauge his reaction.

The King's eyes flickered and then went back to normal. "That's not even the half of it. That…DISGUSTING dream the other night was yours, was it not?"

"That was a **nightmare** and it was all a bunch of BS!" Bulma retorted. She frowned as she heard the Second Commander's voice speaking softly on Vegeta's end of the transmission.

"Don't move, this won't take long," Vegeta told her as he got up, and started talking with the Second Commander off screen.

* * *

About five minutes later… 

Vegeta returned, his posture indicating his irritation. _That dumb ass. Why he has to bother me with news of a meteor shower is beyond me. Why the hell did I not bring Brocco_? He thought as he retook his place before the VAP.

Bulma was sipping a glass of orange juice and sitting on the floor a short distance from the screen, humming a little into the silence.

Vegeta didn't say anything for a while, but he silently watched her not meeting her eyes.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Bulma cleared her throat, glad when the Saiyan's eyes finally met her own. "Vegeta, I want to know what that kiss was about on your departure."

Vegeta smirked mischievously. "What's the matter Bulma? Were you hoping for more?"

Bulma laughed, a part of her melting at that expression on his face. "NO, I wasn't expecting anything from you. I was just confused because…"

The mischievous smirk disappeared and Vegeta's face became very serious. "Because why?"

"Well…" She tried to think of the right words but none came easily. After a moment, she thought of something. "You don't usually act in such a way."

"I see," he said softly.

Bulma tried to look through the mask that is Vegeta's face, but it was nearly impossible. She sighed in exasperation. "I swear Vegeta! If I didn't—" She cut herself off by putting her hands over her mouth. O_h my Kami Bulma! You were about to say, 'If I didn't love you so much Vegeta, I'd hate you.' What the hell is wrong with me? And why can't I keep my mouth shut?_

The King's face briefly lit in interest. "If you didn't what?"

_You can't let him know Bulma! He'll rip your heart out, puree it, make it into a smoothie, and drink it with the devil woman._ "I was saying that if I didn't hate you so much I'd wish you were here right now so I could really give you a piece of my mind." _Damn it Bulma! That was SO weak; he'll never buy that._

Her mate just rolled his eyes. "Whatever woman. I'll be calling every 3-4 months to talk to Brocco." He paused slightly, and a smirk played over his face. "Oh and Bulma: don't screw things up." He cut off the transmission.

"Ass," Bulma said, childishly sticking out her tongue. _He has a very nice one if I remember correctly. _She grimaced as she stood up, picking up her glass, "Thoughts like those are what got me in my current condition," she said to herself aloud, walking to her room.

"What condition?" Brocco questioned from where she'd been waiting. "And what thoughts?"

"Oh, uh, I was thinking about food and that's the whole reason why I'm so fat now," she lied quickly.

"Oh. Well, you're not that fat Bulma. I mean, it's barely noticeable," Brocco said loyally.

"Thanks Brocco, I needed that," she muttered, easing into bed, "And what exactly did the oh-so-high-and-mighty Vegeta ask you to do?"

Brocco smirked a little and somehow managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "He said to, and I quote, 'Keep an eye on that foolish wench. She's too stupid and too weak to protect herself.' Oh yeah, and he said, 'If something happens to her and the brat, I'll kill you.'"

"Well that's reassuring," Bulma said in mock seriousness. "Go take a break Brocco. I'll be fine."

The 1st Commander looked pleased but hesitated at the door, looking back at the Queen, who was fluffing her pillow enthusiastically. "Are you sure Bulma?"

"Positive," was the emphatic reply. "I'm going to lie here and read. If I need you for something I'll try to contact you using the VAP, okay?"

"Okay!" Brocco replied, smiling. She bowed quickly and was gone.

Bulma sighed in exasperation. _For Kami's sake! You'd think I was a three-year-old the way Vegeta is making Brocco watch after me. Wait a second! He never answered my question! Tricky bastard! I'll make him answer the next time he calls. I don't know what I'm going to do in the mean time. I guess there's something I can find to do…preferably something that will piss Vegeta off. _

She twirled a strand of her blue hair around her finger pensively, "Maybe if I act like Cambodia…no wait, I'm not a dumb slut so that idea won't work. Maybe if I act as though her presence doesn't bother me, he will stop torturing me with her." She mentally congratulated herself and gingerly got out of bed to find out when the hated- Zafrite was scheduled to leave. _The sooner the better. I can't keep up that act forever! _

* * *

Kaaren was a trifle cold, but she didn't complain. She couldn't even if she somehow wanted to; she's been dead for the past four hours. She had been extremely beautiful while she was living. Somehow in death, she seemed almost like a holy being or some kind of surreal beauty. Ironic considering her chosen profession. She was kept on ice to keep her from smelling. Her face was in a sad sort of smile, her cold unmoving hands folded on her abdomen, her overall aura was breathtaking, which is why Bolivia was having trouble looking away from her. 

_What does my Lady have in mind for this girl I wonder?_ She pushed these thoughts away as she imagined the consequences of questioning the ruler of the Zafrites: 'Self-inflicted' death.

This fate actually involved the usage of a team of four people and Cambodia. Cambodia would '_suggest'_ that the woman in question end her life for the sake of her people. If the woman denied, she was 'persuaded' by various degrees of torture, until finally Cambodia took their life. This was the ultimate disgrace in their race: to be taken down by their ruler for the sake of the people. Especially when the people in question could do it themselves.

Self-inflicted death was probably the reason for the great migration of Zafrites to earth and neighboring planets not too long ago, yet somehow Bolivia couldn't leave.

She tried to shake off the guilt and self-disgust she felt as the body of Kaaren disappeared before her eyes as the teleportation machine finished charging. _It's not my department to figure out what happens to her now. The rest of this depends entirely on Lady Sinclair._

End of Chapter Thirteen! ANY SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS/QUESTIONS I WANT 'EM ALL! Just drop me a line and I'll write back to you as soon as humanly possibly! Thanks for reading!

Your ditzy author:

Bulma16 (Claire-Chan)


	13. Chapter Fourteen

AN: Tada ima, minna! Claire here with a long awaited update. I guess I'm officially back to the fandom. Feels weird to be back; so many of the people I started writing with are gone. Anyway! My goal is to have this fic completed by summer (I don't want to rush it). For those of you who've stuck by all this time, domo and enjoy!

Mind Games: **Chapter Fourteen**

"_**1900 hours**_!"

Brocco flinched as Bulma's enraged shriek met her ears. "Yes, 1900 hours. Lady Cambodia rescheduled her departure so that she can, in her words, Reconcile any differences between the Queen and I.'" Brocco paused and her eyes lit in both suspicion and curiosity. "Why? Is there a problem?"

Bulma sighed. "No, damn it. I guess I **have to** talk with her now that she said _that_ and at least make an effort to get along with that hateful creature." She turned the VAP off before the First Commander could respond. _What is Mrs._ _Everyone-do-me_ _up to I wonder? I think it's safe to_ _assume_ _no good._ _She probably means to gloat about winning Vegeta from me or something. The bitch._

She jumped a little as the VAP indicated that she had an incoming call. Laughing at herself for being so jumpy, she pushed the button to accept the incoming call; after seeing whom it was, she really wished she hadn't bothered.

"Queen Bulma."

"Lady Cambodia," Bulma replied through clenched teeth.

"I trust your Commander has informed you of my desire to reconcile?"

The Queen hid her hatred for the redhead well. "Yes and I'm willing to go along with it."

The Zafrite smiled beautifully as if this bit of news delighted her more than anything else in the world ever could. "How very excellent! May I come to your rooms then? I'd like this animosity to be done with as soon as possible."

_Shiiiit. _"Well…yes. Of course you can," was the human's reluctant answer.

Cambodia's eyes glowed in anticipation as she gave a respectful bow to the other woman. "See you soon."

Bulma swore darkly as the VAP switched off. She definitely hadn't been expecting her nemesis to turn the tables on her like this. _Now what?_

Vegeta scowled-- which was in and of itself, neither unusual or out of the ordinary, but the reason behind _why_ he was scowling could only be described as being humorous. Brocco's shoulders were shaking in her effort to keep from bursting into laughter and they shook even more as she caught a glimpse of the dour expression on her King's face. Vegeta furrowed his brows and crossed his tanned arms over his chest in irritation as he contemplated the recent bit of news he'd just received, ignoring his officer's mirth for the time being. "And just **when** is she leaving Commander?"

The female Saiyan temporarily swallowed her laughter in an effort to regain her composure as she solemnly met the gaze of her monarch on screen. "A-at 1900 hours, Your Highness."

The King snorted in disgust before he spoke. "Figures. Remember what I told you earlier Brocco…and get a fucking hold of yourself soldier." He turned the VAP off and knew that his obviously amused First Commander was probably laughing her head off at his expense. _I never should have invited that redheaded bitch to Vegetaseii in the first place,_ he thought (not for the first time), his mind back to the problem at hand.

"Damn it," he muttered beneath his breath as he stepped into one of his brightly lit and immaculate training rooms. Vegeta exhaled loudly as the door automatically closed behind him, pushing all thoughts of his female problems' far from his mind as he felt that familiar sensation; the undeniably relentless force that made him want to train until he could barely move any more, come back to him full force. He smirked as he began to gather his immense energy, amused when he sensed both the awe and fear of the others onboard the ship. _No more distractions. The female means nothing to me. Screw the bond. It also means nothing. When it comes down to it, strength is the only thing that matters,_ he told himself as he suddenly launched into a complicated series of acrobatics, ignoring the tiny voice in his mind that whispered _liar._

Bulma frowned at the laughing Saiyan on the screen before her. "You told him?"

Brocco immediately ceased her laughter upon hearing the disappointment in her friend's voice. "Was I not supposed to?"

"**No**, you weren't! I don't want you to tell Vegeta _everything_! I'm sure he was absolutely delighted to hear that the biggest blasted idiot in the castle and his fat cow of a mate are making up'," she spat angrily, her blue eyes flashing with ire. "I'm sure now he thinks I'm perfectly content to have some harlot on the grounds."

Brocco frowned as she recalled Vegeta's reaction to the news. "Actually he was-"

Bulma's brows furrowed in displeasure as she heard a loud knock at the door. "Great. That must be her now. Don't you **dare** come bother me, Brocco. I don't even want to hear anything from you until further notice. You got that?"

Any trace of humor was long gone from the female's face and for a brief moment hurt showed on her face. "As you wish my Queen." The Saiyan warrior bowed a little stiffly and disappeared from the screen as she ended the transmission.

Bulma cursed inwardly as she realized what she'd just done. "I didn't mean it seriously," she said aloud to herself, feeling guilty. She went to the door as another knock yanked her out of her reverie. The human female took a deep breath before opening the door. "Please come in," she said politely stepping back, a fake smile plastered on her face.

The beautiful Zafrite smiled brilliantly. "That won't be necessary. I can conduct my business from right here, thanks." She opened her left hand and hovering just above her palm was a small orb of blue and green.

Bulma felt an ominous sensation of déjà vu as she stared entranced at the glowing orb for several seconds and then finally into Cambodia's sparkling emerald eyes. "Wha-what is that?" she asked, her heart pounding in her ears as a voice in her head screamed for her to run, to hide, to _do_ something.

"This? This is my revenge," Cambodia answered lazily, smirking. She extended her right hand so that it hovered slightly above the orb. With a faint grunt, she snapped both of her wrists back so that only her palms were visible. The orb flashed brightly once, twice, three times, and then turned back to its regular dormant state.

Bulma frowned as she sensed no change. She smirked and prepared to insult her would be killer when she suddenly felt as though she was getting stabbed all over her body with a thousand sharp knives. The pregnant female screamed-more in anger and surprise than anything else-and found that she was frozen in place; yet another result of the hoodoo that red haired harpy had just pulled.

Her eyes widened as on top of everything else, she began to feel as though a giant vacuum was sucking her energy away. _It's as if that sphere is absorbing my life force,_ the genius thought, unconsciously wrapping her arms protectively around her belly.

The Queen was correct in this thought, because in a manner of speaking, the orb in question was a vacuum sucking away her life force. If it was used for long enough, it could suck up to 50 years from her, leaving her a ragged pile of bones and dust. The human female fell to her knees, moaning as she fell to her side, unconscious.

Cambodia made an elaborate gesture with her hand and the orb-which was actually a super concentrated and highly complicated ki ball-disappeared into her skin. She snorted as she gazed disdainfully down at the prone female. The Zafrite ruler gently turned her with her booted foot so that the human was lying on her back, one of her arms across her chest and the other stretched out to the side. Cambodia pushed down the mad rush of jealousy as she took note of the earthling's irregular beauty. _Bitch. She'll_ _fucking_ _pay_ _for taking Vegeta from me._ She pushed a button on the transmitter in her pocket and leaned against the wall, thinking as she waited for a response from one of her underlings. _This is what they deserve. I'll show them both. No one makes a fool out of Cambodia Sinclair._

Flashback (About two or two-and-a-half months ago).

Cambodia smiled as she heard Bulma burst into tears and run off to cry in her quarters. Even as she saw the furious look on Vegeta's face, she couldn't keep that cat-that-got-the-canary-smile off of her face. "Is something wrong Vegeta?" she practically purred, arching her brows delicately.

The King laughed harshly, without humor. "Everything's wrong. What else is new?"

Cambodia smiled sultrily despite the uncharacteristic complaint and leaned against the King flirtatiously. "Oh, I wouldn't everything. Some things have been and always will be right."

Vegeta remained impassive, not even looking at her as he snorted in disbelief.

Determined not to give up that easily, Cambodia pressed her pelvis against his and ground against him suggestively. "I can think of one thing that was always good for you; good for us both Vegeta. It's been years since the last time. Let me make things better for you," she whispered, teasing his ear with the tip of her tongue playfully.

Vegeta growled and pushed her away from him. "I'm mated now, woman. Things are different from how they used to be."

The Zafrite's laughter had a bitter edge to it and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively in the face of her rejection. "I thought you said that being joined to that human meant nothing to you?" The King looked away from her accusatory stare, scowling at nothing in particular. Cambodia continued, her voice rising in growing alarm, "My gods. You mean you actually have feelings for that disgraceful piece of earth trash?"

Vegeta growled again, turning so that his ebony eyes boring angrily into hers. "Do NOT presume to say such things about my mate, Cambodia. You have no right to speak ill of Vegetaseii's queen."

Denial was beginning to set in. "You must be joking! I can't believe you Vegeta! You're ruining what we had together-and you know we had something special-for what? Some weakling slip of a human girl?"

The King's features took on an incredulous expression as he spoke, his tone harsh, mocking, and to the point. "'Something special?' The only thing there ever was between us was fucking Cambodia…and a lot of it. If a lot of sex means that there's something special' then I also have something special' with at least 7 other women out there. You are NOT the only one Cambodia, nor were you even close to being the best. I will admit that you are the most beautiful, even if you are the least tolerable."

There was a moment of silence between them and then the Zafrite leader's face took on a look of horror as she realized just what exactly was going on. "You-you're fucking using me, you bastard! You're using me to make that girl jealous aren't you?" A noncommittal shrug of the shoulders was her only answer, temporarily rendering her speechless. She quickly recovered however, even as she felt the hate, the anger, the hurt of betrayal burn inside her. "Well, no matter. I only wished to visit again with an old friend Vegeta, though I must confess that I am a little peeved at you," she lied.

The Saiyan shrugged, everything about his demeanor stating that he was bored with this conversation and with her. "I do whatever it takes to get what I want. If that means I have to sleep on a couch, use a less important person, or pretend that I have feelings for someone else… so be it." And with that said, he swept from the room leaving her to seethe in his wake, her body trembling in her effort to keep from losing her temper entirely.

end of flashback

"He'll pay for that." Cambodia vowed, her fists clenched in anger. _And that_ _fucking whore_ _of his_ _will pay too. Not just for that, but for everything…_

flashback

(during Vegeta's first absence).

"Rachel, guess what? I-"

"Excuse me. Can I talk to you for a minute Bulma?"

Bulma frowned and followed the Zafrite who had a miffed air about her. "What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"Why don't you just give up? Vegeta is mine, and always will be. We have sex every night and let me tell you that we both find your little attachment to him to be hilarious," Cambodia lied, a malicious sneer on her face.

The human female smirked. "What the hell do I care? If Vegeta wants to catch some kind of STD with a cheap whore like you, that's his business; I could really care less," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Cambodia growled in surprise at the Queen's absence of passionate anger. "Why you-"

"Bitch?" Bulma supplied, her eyes full of amusement. "Thank you."

The Zafrite frowned in puzzlement. "You do know that the King and I were lovers for years, don't you?"

Bulma's expression didn't change a bit. "I figured that out a **long** time ago. I also figured that after someone with your…uh, _years and years_ of experience, Vegeta would be looking for someone with-oh how shall I say this?-fewer _miles_ and without all those pesky STD's; i.e., me." She ignored the outraged look on Cambodia's face, her voice rising in volume as she lifted her chin proudly before continuing her speech. "My father always said, never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.' I am through wasting my time and precious moments of my life talking to you. So you think you have Vegeta; big deal! I hate the bastard and I could care less about you **or** him. You can take your insecurity and fucking wedge it up your tight ass!" With that said, she lifted her chin in the air and left the Zafrite standing there struck dumb by her heated words.

End of flashback

Cambodia tensed as she heard the door to the King's private hallway open, "Who goes there?" she said aloud, pulling her knife from the leather band at her inner thigh and preparing to attack.

"It is I, my Lady," a cool voice answered before the figure stepped into Cambodia's line of vision, her long green hair loose about her shoulders, her dark blue eyes ablaze, and her slim figure as graceful as that of any feline.

"Ah, it's only you Granada. I'm glad to see you," Cambodia said, replacing her dagger.

The deadly Zafrite beauty bowed. "And I am glad to see you, as always my Lady." Her eyes fell onto the body of Vegetaseii's Queen. "Is this…" She trailed off, looking into the fiery eyes of her ruler. The hatred reflected there was answer enough. "She will fit in well with the others as long as they don't know from whence she came."

Cambodia nodded absently. "Yes, yes. Where is the replacement?" With a jerking motion of her head, the blue-eyed Zafrite indicated that it was over by the door. "Bring her here."

Granada nodded and went to get it. She was back in a matter of seconds. "She's heavier than she looks." She dropped the body onto floor and rubbed her hands together in dismissal.

Cambodia walked over to the body and turned it over with the toe of her boot, so that Kaaren was face up. She nodded in approval. "Quite an uncanny resemblance. To pull this off however, you'll need to cut her hair and copy any blemishes the other girl might have that Vegeta might know about." She turned to Granada, who was looking at the two bodies in mild surprise. Lying side by side, the two appeared to be twins, though Kaaren's hair was much longer and her nose was slightly wider.

"Of course my Lady," she muttered, a little spooked by the resemblance.

Cambodia nodded again in satisfaction. "I trust I can depend on you to take care of the rest alone?"

Granada's blue eyes me the green ones of her ruler. "Certainly," she answered, a little offended.

"Do not disappoint me Granada. Or else..." The Zafrite trailed off forebodingly, turning her attention back to the two bodies and not noticing the scowl on Granada's face. With a deft movement, Cambodia stabbed the human female in her arm, right below the shoulder. As the blood flowed from the wound, she pivoted on one foot and stabbed the frozen body of Kaaren once in the chest, and then again in the heart. She wiped the blood on Bulma's clothes and turned to her subject, smiling. She saw the question in Granada's eyes and sighed. "The blood of the bitch needs to be all over her clothes so that if any of her scientists test it, they will not know that it is any other person." She straightened and sneered as she saw Bulma's arm twitch in her unconscious state. _Just you wait bitch._ _Your suffering_ _has_ _only_ _just_ _begun._

A low rumbling noise broke into the silence of the training room and Vegeta ceased his post-workout meditating. He grabbed a towel, patting his face dry of sweat as he left the room. He ignored the usual admiring looks of a few of his warriors and only once nodded curtly as he saw the 2nd Commander trying to catch his attention. He wasn't in the mood for Asparo's bullshit. The only thing he was in the mood for was food. He growled as the exhausted Saiyan put himself directly in his path. There'd be no ignoring him today. "What is it soldier?"

Asparo was breathing heavily and he coughed quite a few times before he was able to answer. "A call for you, sire, on the VAP. It's important."

Vegeta frowned and pushed the warrior out of his way as he continued to his room. Once he finally got there, he felt a sort of an odd ominous feeling, as if he had just lost something important. He shrugged it off and tossed his towel somewhere in the vicinity of the bathroom as he first pushed the button to summon room service.' Once he'd done something about his growling stomach, he pushed the button connecting him with his call. Vegeta scowled as he saw who was on the screen. _What the fuck does she want now?_ "What do you want?" he growled at the smiling red head.

"I'm leaving Vegetaseii today Vegeta."

The King snorted impatiently. "No shit."

Cambodia's smile never wavered. "I just wanted to say goodbye. It was nice seeing of you to invite me back…even if it was just to make your mate jealous."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vegeta drawled coldly, his black eyes expressionless.

"Oh forget about it," Cambodia replied, still smiling. "Nothing you say or do can ruin my good mood. I'll be seeing you real soon." She winked and blew a kiss before ending the connection.

Vegeta frowned, _what the hell is that supposed to mean?_ He let the cooking slave in with his food and then let her right back out. He sat down to eat, forgetting his previous question: all thoughts of Cambodia, or any woman for that matter, miles away as he concentrated on his meal.

Thank you to those who reviewed or emailed me! We're getting nearer and nearer to the end of the chapters I have already written! If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Ciao for now!

Claire/Bulma16


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